The Seal of the Sorcerers
by Rosabell
Summary: Semi-AU After Snape dies he wakes in a world of mages and sorcerers, where the mightiest of them all, the Sorceress, gives him the Seal of the Sorcerers,a powerful artifact. When he returns to the wizarding world, there is a darkness only he can dispel
1. Chapter 1

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter One

The Sorceress was the first person he laid eyes on. She was clad in elegant green and white robes. Her face was young, an Asian face, one that looked no older than twenty—but her eyes were ancient and profound. She looked at him with a knowing smile when he woke, but did not speak.

Severus blinked, feeling disoriented. He registered that he was on a bed—a large, soft bed that felt like he was sleeping on a cloud. Beyond that, the only image he could clearly see was the young woman's face. He looked up to see a blur of colors from what seemed to be the canopy of the bed. He tried to move his arms. They shifted slightly, but with great difficulty. He let out a groan.

_What happened?_ He wondered, confused and groggy. He could not remember his name for a moment, or what had transpired. He certainly did not recognize the young woman either. Was he supposed to be here?

What was he doing?

It all came back in a rush. Severus gasped as his head pounded angrily. Voldemort—Voldemort thought he was the master of the Elder Wand and had Nagini bite him—then Potter—he had tried to make Potter understand but the best he could do was release his memories for the boy to see in the Pensieve later—did Potter survive? How long was he out? Was he dead?

" Yes and no." Said the young woman, still smiling. " You are dead, to the wizards at least. But life takes many forms still."

His vision was clearing. It was a canopy, above him—ornate designs were woven into the fabric. He swallowed. His throat was dry. No, he definitely did not know this woman.

" Who are you?" He rasped.

" They call me the Sorceress." Said she. " Here."

She was holding a goblet of water. Severus blinked, realizing she had been sitting earlier, for now she was towering over where he laid flat. She helped him sit up to drink. The cool water tasted so sweet—he had no idea water could taste so sweet.

She moved back as he continued to recover his bearings.

He stared at her back as she set the cup down on a tray that carried a porcelain pitcher.

" Can I…" He hesitated as she did not seem to react, " Can I see Lily?"

She paused noticeably at this.

" Lily Evans?" She inquired.

" Yes." Severus affirmed, wondering if perhaps she was surprised he would want to see Harry's mother. Maybe she did not know.

" Lily Evans is dead." She said mysteriously, finally turning around. " Is there anything you need?"

Severus frowned, confusion coursing through him like a wave. " I thought…"

" She is very much dead." Said the Sorceress. " And you are very much alive."

A heavy silence descended, as Severus struggled to rise from the newfound despair of being unable to meet with Lily yet _again_. Confusion warred for dominance once more.

" How?" He asked. " I—Nagini—"

The Sorceress smiled, an expression strangely sweet, her eyes twinkling a little like Dumbledore's, only with much more grace.

" You are still alive, yes."

Severus blinked a few times, trying to come up with a response.

" I am not quite the one to explain to you." The Sorceress told Severus. " Nor is this the right time. Rest assured, however; all will be revealed."

She stepped closer to the bed and rested her fair hand against his forehead. " Be at peace."

Despite his best attempts to resist, Severus fell back asleep

oO

When Severus woke again he was alone in the room. His vision was better this time around, and he saw that the room was about the same size as his old room at Hogwarts, with tempered colors. He still did not know where he was, but he knew where he was _not_: he was not at Hogwarts, nor anywhere near it.

He sat up with some difficulty, for his body felt heavy and his muscles were loose and useless. He noted he was in white pajamas—he had not worn white in years, and as he ran his hand through his hair he felt it was even greasier than usual. His hand came away with a black, filmy substance.

The door opened then, and the Sorceress came in. A tray hovered behind her, and she held the door open as it came in alongside her. She had no wand, nor did she even look at the tray. Severus stared at the spectacle, hand still held out, slightly black.

" Ah." Said the Sorceress, grinning. " Good, you are awake again." She shut the door. " It appears they have seen fit to assign me as your house maid for now."

Severus was dumbfounded for a moment, and finally recovered when the Sorceress was already beside him. The tray held two large bowls, one with brown liquid, the other with black.

" Who is they?" He asked. " And who are you?"

The young woman (or could she be older than she seemed?) smiled at him in a manner almost patronizing. Then again, he had asked a question she had answered before. " You would understand no more if I tell you who _they _are, and as I said; I am called the Sorceress." She glanced at his hand. " Oh, wonderful."

She said this with genuine pleasure, implying that somehow Severus should have black filmy stuff in his hair. Her next comment instantly confirmed and clarified that. " You are finally expelling the toxins." She lifted the bowl of black liquid. " If you can, Master Wizard, drink this?"

_Master Wizard._ Somehow, the title of "Sorceress" made a little more sense. Wherever he was, wizards were not prevalent. He stared at the bowl and reached out. She settled the bowl gently in his hands, but he was unable to hold the weight by himself.

" Hm, still a bit weak." She let go of the bowl. Somehow it hovered in the air. All Severus had to do was direct it.

" What is this?" He asked. He did not recognize the smell, though it smelled of herbs and spices and the earth.

" Something for the toxins." Said the Sorceress, turning back and stirring the bowl of brown liquid. " You had plenty in your system in solute form, from the years you have inhaled fumes from your potions classroom. That was nothing compared to the hurtful spells you were subjected to, and _that,_" She gave him a funny look, " Was nothing compared to your own emotional toxins."

Severus looked at her at that, but she had turned away again. He glanced at the bowl. He did not recognize the potion at all, but there was something about the Sorceress that made him wish to trust her.

_Well._ Severus thought. _If she wanted to kill me she would have done so already._ Poisoning him would hardly be the most efficient.

The liquid tasted absolutely foul, but as a Potions Master, Severus was used to such things. The potion made him feel ill, and for a moment he wondered if he had been wrong; that she had, indeed, poisoned him. But as he broke out into sweat, he realized why he was ill.

Beads of black, filmy sweat formed along his skin. He knew, with some sorrow, that the white pajamas was going to be stained. Perhaps that was the purpose—to measure how stained his sweat still was. He felt so nauseous that he could no longer think, except to wish the feeling would pass quickly. He opened his eyes to see the Sorceress standing over him, the second bowl above him. She poured it over his face, but the liquid traveled slowly down, coating his skin all over, under the pajamas, warm and sticky.

" What…" He rasped, the sickness taking his voice. " What…"

He had the presence of mind to realize she could have ignored the question—it would probably have been easier for her, but she did not. " It isolates the toxins from the tissues into your blood." She said. " So that you can later expel it, in a different way. As well, it prevents you from suffering from the chill, due to your skin pores widening as they are now."

_Why?_ Severus wanted to ask her. Why is she doing this? Is she helping him? Preparing him? But he was too weak to speak at this point.

" Rest." She said, lifting her hand, and Severus recognized the gesture as the one that had put him to sleep the first time. " Know a free gift when given. The wise know what to trust as well as not. Sleep."

oO

This time, when Severus woke, he was much stronger. A chair with robes was beside his bed. It was not black, as he normally would have preferred, but a gray blue, which was not terrible. He glanced at his hands and noted that they seemed rather dark, though not dirty. He ran his fingers through his hair and felt, with surprise, clean, dry locks. His chest felt lighter, and his head felt clearer. Whatever those potions had done, they had made him better somehow.

His pajamas were still white and clean, perhaps due to a cleansing spell. He was well taken care of, he decided, and ventured to show his gratitude somehow, remembering the last words of the Sorceress. The robes, he noted as he changed, were soft, softer than cotton. Once clad, he felt they looked very much informal. Just as well; he was better, but he did not feel up to go outside. The slippers also indicated he was not expected to go out.

Assuming, of course, he can—but remembering the Sorceress's words, he shook off that thought.

The door opened easily, and he was welcomed with rather loud chatter. There were robe-clad figures in a huge hall right outside his room, all carrying staves. He tried to find the sorceress that had taken care of him, but she was nowhere to be found. No one seemed to notice he had come out, and he lingered in his room bashfully, for everyone else was dressed in much more refined robes than he.

" I say this again," He heard one man enunciate loudly, " If the dead complain, you show them the fist. That is all there is to it."

" They know as much as you." Said his companion.

" Which is why you do!"

A middle-aged couple walked past, still not heeding Severus.

" She will not be pleased." Said the wife to her husband. " Once she finds out, she will not be pleased at all. She had specific instructions."

" That is his affair, not mine." Said the husband. " I have done my part. She knows as much."

" How many days do you think this will cost us?" The wife asked.

" A week, at least. We have to redistribute our resources for this."

The noise was so loud, Severus knew there must be a charm to block all of the sound out in his room, for it had been quiet and peaceful. He wondered if he should go back in and wait, but he then noticed that some people saw him, but did not really take notice.

Feeling braver by this proof that he did not look completely ridiculous, he stepped fully out, pulling the door behind him, but not closing it. He wondered where his wand was, who these people were, and where the Sorceress was. They were not wizards; the robes were very different, and their magic felt different as well. Once he stepped into the crowd, however, he felt very lost, and was reluctant to speak directly to any of the members without being spoken to.

Finally, pulling on his courage, he interrupted the two men who were speaking before.

" Excuse me," He started, and they instantly stopped to look at him. " Pardon me, but…" What could he say? What did he even want? " I am looking for…"

Would they know who she was if he just said she was the sorceress?

" I am looking for the Sorceress." He tried bravely, hoping he did not sound like a complete fool.

" You are the young wizard." Said the first man, sounding even more patronizing than Dumbledore and Voldemort combined. " Fancy that! You look much better, I daresay. When they first brought you in, you were a rag."

Severus was speechless. " Who…" He began, " Who are 'they', and where am I?"

" I do not know." Said the first man. " Some group. I just know those particular mages are very powerful, but beyond that I cannot say."

" Indeed!" His companion laughed, " Anyone less powerful would hardly be bold enough to stick _her_ with one of their responsibilities."

" You are at the Grand Auditorium Hall." Said the first man. " I am sure the Sorceress will be with you shortly."

So they _did _just call her the Sorceress. Perhaps it was how it worked here.

He must have looked a little lost, for the mages then said kindly, " Come, Master Wizard. We will look for the Sorceress, doubtless she wishes to see you as well."

" Heir of Slytherin!" Someone was exclaiming. " Heir of Slytherin indeed, as if Slytherin is good enough to have any heirs—"

" Come now," Someone else interrupted, " He was powerful in his own right—"

" An absolute maniac—"

" Sorceress!" The first man bowed down. Before them stood, indeed, the Sorceress herself. The other mage bowed as well.

She had taken them by surprise, Severus realized, from the way the two men suddenly became meek and nervous. He himself was startled as well, and he was not sure if he should bow as well. She looked a lot more intimidating than she had at his bedside, her robes more ornate, and with a headdress covering her long black hair, her eyes dark and piercing, face lifted half-disdainfully, and exuding an aura of authority. He could not sense her magic though—she had hidden it.

" Master Mages." She acknowledged, a bit imperiously, before turning her eyes on Severus. " Master Wizard." She inclined her head. She was holding a staff of her own, which she moved from her right hand to her left, and raising her right hand out to him, she gestured, " I see you have recovered considerably."

Speechless with awe, Severus wondered if he was doomed to always come across powerful persons as she and succumb to their will. First Headmaster Dumbledore, then Voldemort, then Headmaster Dumbledore again. For all his supposed magical power, he was always facing people infinitely more powerful than himself. So far the Sorceress displayed no such might, but he sensed, intuitively, that she was a figure of great influence indeed.

The two mages looked a little awkward at his hesitation, but the Sorceress did not seem to mind. She smiled at him, a soft smile, and encouraged by this familiar expression, Severus took her hand.

" Thank you, Master Mages," The Sorceress said to the two men. " You may go."

" Heir of Slytherin, hahaha!" Another group erupted into laughter as she led him toward the front of the hall. Severus turned his head, no so much insulted as bemused. Seeing his inquiring look, the Sorceress slowed a little to explain.

" Your Dark Lord has fallen." She told him. " The child prevailed."

Ah. A weight lifted from his chest, a weight he was not even aware of being there. He had accomplished something, at least. No matter how indirect.

More laughter sounded, and some joke at Voldemort's expense. To his surprise the Sorceress let go of his hand to address the group.

" You may laugh." She said to the members, " But he has caused great suffering, and that is no laughing matter."

Their mirth dissipated at that, and the group bowed to her as one, remonstrated. Then they bowed apologetically to Severus, who did not know how to respond. It was fine, in the end, however; the Sorceress took his hand again and began leading him to the front of the hall, where huge gates were half open, revealing a sunny day outside.

" Where are we going?" Severus thought to ask. He felt like one of those muggles stepping into Diagon Alley for the first time.

" You wished to see the Witch Lily Evans." The Sorceress reminded him.

Taken-aback, Severus said cautiously, " You implied I could not see her."

" You could not see her while you were bedridden." She replied. " You can go to her. She cannot come to you. That is why."

Severus felt all the more confused. " But you said I was not dead."

" And you are not." The Sorceress replied patiently.

Feeling a little irritated at how she never elaborated more than she needed to, Severus demanded, " Then what is going on? Can you raise the dead?"

" No." She replied, non-fazed by his slightly shorter temper. " But beings like us can pass through the realm of the dead. They are simply not free to pass through to our world, unless they chose to before they crossed over."

_This is impossible,_ Severus thought, and the Sorceress, as if hearing him, let go of his hand, but she kept walking, and Severus followed her. She said nothing of this, so he assumed he was doing the right thing.

Outside the hall were marble streets and other magnificent buildings. There were people heading back and forth like any wizard city, all clad in robes of different styles and colors. When they noticed the Sorceress they all stopped to bow, but the Sorceress did not acknowledge them and kept walking. The hall they just left exited through main wooden doors which opened to wide steps leading down to the main boulevard, upon which carriages drawn by both horses, thestrals, and other equine beasts, rolled along the marble bricks. The air smelled fresh and light, and Severus felt almost cleansed with each inhalation.

He was going to see Lily.

The slippers made it hard to walk down the steps, and as if sensing his struggle, the Sorceress slowed again, until they reached the bottom. With a watery shimmer, her headdress disappeared and she was clad again in the green and white robes he first saw her in. She lifted her staff and it disappeared as well.

" We are heading there." She said, pointing to a large, dark-red building. " The Veil lies there, and the path back."

A little nervous, Severus asked, " Will we be trapped?"

The Sorceress laughed lightly. " Of course not. But I should be fairly displeased if I must use my own powers to bring you back. That is, after all, not my task." She continued walking, and Severus hurried to follow her.

" What is going on?" He asked, his courage suddenly growing in his haste. " I don't understand. Why am I here? What am I doing here? What is going to happen?"

For the most part the Sorceress had been very forthcoming with him. Now, however, she only gave him a small smile, never slowing her pace, though it was a reasonable walk enough.

" As I said before," She replied patiently, " That is not for me to say. You will learn more from them."

" Who is 'them'?" Severus asked, not liking the idea of having people in control of his life that he was not aware of.

The Sorceress gestured to the building. They have arrived. There were a few steps to climb, but not much.

Not understanding, but feeling to ask any more questions, he would overstep his bounds, Severus kept his peace as they entered the red building. Inside it was dark, and illuminated by candles. The Sorceress guided him through the long hall, inside, where it opened up to reveal a large room not unlike the room holding the Veil at the Ministry back in London.

" Barb." The Sorceress called out, and a shadow jumped to its feet. A middle-aged man hurried to the fore.

" Sorceress!" He exclaimed, then hurriedly bowed. The Sorceress sighed at this.

" Open the Veil." She said to Barb. " We will be passing through."

" Yes my lady!" Barb hurried to two curtains Severus had not noticed before, and opened them to reveal two gates. " At once, my lady!"

He stepped back, and one of the doors opened. The Sorceress turned to him as the gate revealed a black unknown.

Feeling frightened for some unfathomable reason, Severus remained were he stood, not approaching the gates. A silence descended over the room.

" You face death before with ease and willingness." Said the Sorceress. " What lied then on the other side, lies there yet. Why fear it so now?"

Severus could not reply. _I did not have to make a choice then._ He thought. _I was killed. I was not marching headlong toward death._

What if Lily hated him still? What if she blamed him for her death? What if she blamed him for Sirius Black? For Peter Pettigrew, for Harry—the way he treated the child, all these years, for Dumbledore. He had so much she would blame him for. Could he really face it now?

_Heartbreak, heartbreak, _when she chose James over him, when Harry was born, when Severus was left without a friend—

" The dead exist from beyond." The Sorceress broke into his thoughts. " It is those who live who do not see, for Death clears the past as it clears the future."

What did she mean? Severus swallowed. Death clears the past as it clears the future. Of course it cleared the future—the person is no longer in the future if he dies. But clear the past?

_Perhaps she meant Lily understands._ He thought. It did not excuse any of what he did, but perhaps, maybe, Lily was willing to forgive him.

It did not matter that he did not deserve her forgiveness. The longing for it was too much to bear.

Without further thought, he strode forward, and passed through the Veil.


	2. Chapter 2

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Two

There was darkness all around him, and Severus felt cold. He turned with horror, for one fleeting moment forgetting that he had the protection of the Sorceress, and was not, in fact, paying for his sins in life. The darkness swirled around him like a whirlwind, and then settled, slowly, to reveal muted colors. He was in a forest.

Feeling disoriented again, and out of place, he started walking, not sure where he was going. He barely left his starting point when Dumbledore appeared in front of him.

He was younger, still with a beard, but it was dark brown, as it had been when he was first appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts. Severus wanted to greet him, to cry, to laugh—he was not sure which of those he really wanted to do anymore, but then the older wizard bowed, hands together in front of him as a salute.

Shocked beyond words, Severus stared at him.

" Severus." Dumbledore straightened, and he smiled. " It is good to see you, my child."

He acted as if nothing happened, but Severus was not so easily swayed. " What was that, Albus?" he asked.

" Ah." Albus smiled wider. " Just giving you your due, my boy. You have done very well, very well indeed."

Feeling overwhelmed, the Potions Master could only stare at his former mentor. But the smile on Dumbledore's face did not go away.

" I am so proud of you." Albus took his hand. The older man's hands felt strange, not quite solid. " I am so happy for you. I am so glad you came."

" Severus!"

Severus started at the voice. Lily rushed out from the trees. Behind her, Severus saw Potter, Black, Lupin, and Tonks. Several more people arrived, but he did not see him, concentrating on Lily instead. She looked like she was going to hug him, but stopped short before she reached him and bowed the way Dumbledore had.

_What?_

" Lily?" he reached out, forgetting the others were there. " Stop, don't do that," He protested when she only bowed lower. " Lily!"

" Snape." Potter greeted, and startled, Severus stopped approaching her. Then, to the Potions Master's increased astonishment, the rest of the spirits bowed as well.

Lily, having saluted already, now felt free to hug him. Severus embraced her back, but he was dismayed. He searched Potter's face for any hint of displeasure, but found a neutral expression on everyone's face, even Black's.

" You are okay now?" Lily asked, her voice muffled against his robes. " We were so anxious. Harry was so distraught and we knew you had died. We were afraid they wouldn't get you in time."

" Who's they?" Severus asked, feeling like this was the fiftieth time he had asked this question. He was unprepared for the warm reception. How odd, that he should be more disarmed by their affectionate greeting than he would had they coldly shunned him. He glanced at Potter, wondering why the other man was so…calm…about him hugging Lily.

" The sorcerers." Lily drew her head back and took Severus's face in her hands. " You are too thin." She said with some dismay.

Severus blinked, her comment reminding him that he had not remembered eating for a long time. He then turned to her earlier statement. " Sorcerers?"

" Looks like he's still kind of clueless." Black glanced at Potter. Severus looked up, a retort ready on his lips—but the expression on the other man's face was not aggressive. The two Marauders shared a look, as if trying to communicate who should speak next.

It was Dumbledore who answered his question.

" There are many things we learned while here." Said the former headmaster. " Shall we find a place to sit?"

" In a forest?" Severus asked, but the headmaster began walking, and the others followed. Lily took Severus's hand—he could not remember her being so free around him ever since she married Potter. They stepped through the dirt path and tree roots and came upon a clearing where a large round table just stood there, surrounded by exactly six chairs.

Severus sat down calmly now. He felt like he had already surpassed his quota of being completely astonished. The rest of the spirits sat, with Black drumming the table with his fingers restlessly.

" You know that wizards aren't able to come here," Potter gestured at Black, " What he did—no no."

Severus just blinked. Feeling a bit sour, he wondered what made these spirits think that just because they were suddenly alright with everything that had passed between them in life, he was going to be fine as well. For one thing, he still disliked both Potter and Black, scorned Lupin, and very much hated Dumbledore, in his own way, for putting him in the spot he did. Potter was acting too casual, too _friendly—_but then he registered Potter's actual words and felt like he had just been doused with cold water.

" What's that supposed to mean?"

" You're not a wizard." Lily said what Potter intimated.

Silence fell. Severus stared at his hands. No, he had definitely surpassed his limit of surprise. He only felt numb now.

" So what am I?" Deatheater, Slytherin, _greasy git—_

" You are a sorcerer." Dumbledore said softly. " The most powerful breed of magicians."

" What's a sorcerer anyway?"

Black glanced at Lupin. " You want to chip in?"

" It's hard to explain." Lupin said quietly. " They control magic better, and more efficiently. Their range of influence is also greater."

Severus thought back to the Sorceress, how her headdress had shimmered away without so much as an incantation or a wave of her fingers.

" Most importantly, however," Lupin went on, " Sorcerers have seals, the seals of their will. These seals are incredibly powerful; whoever and whatever is marked by the seal belongs to them completely, provided the will of the marked is not stronger than the seal-owner's magic."

" So basically, if they don't allow you to grow old, _you don't grow old._" Black interrupted. " And if they don't want you to feel pain, _you don't feel pain, _no matter how hard you try to hurt yourself. In fact, it's impossible to hurt yourself unless they let you."

" Or you let them, since you're a sorcerer now." Potter shrugged.

Had Severus not been sitting in the realm of the dead, surrounded by muted trees that had passed away in life and gone to the death like all other living beings, he would have thought the spirits were making fun of him. As he was, he could only stare at Black a little stupidly, knowing, instinctively, that what Black was saying was important, what Lupin was describing was indeed incredibly powerful, but not quite understanding how or why.

" How am I a sorcerer?"

" Not really sure." Potter looked at Lily.

" You were just born one." Lily replied.

Severus shook his head. That did not make sense. " How do you know?" He asked.

" You have met them, have you not?" Dumbledore asked.

" I met one. The Sorceress."

A stunned silence fell, this time on the part of the spirits.

" _The Sorceress!" _Potter gasped, staring at Lily, then at Dumbledore. " The Sorceress? Herself?"

Severus looked at Dumbledore, alarmed. The former headmaster's eyes twinkled as he met the young man's look.

" Is the Sorceress a…" Severus blinked. " Who is she?"

" You don't know?" Potter looked a little freaked out. " She is the most powerful sorcerer to ever exist! She could have killed Voldemort with a sneeze! They say that she is immortal, and had lived for thousands of years; she's the most powerful being in existence, even. She is intimately acquainted with deities, they say, and knows everything there is to know about Life the Universe, and Everything."

" Forty-two." Lily quipped, but Potter spoke over her.

" As it is her favor is rarely bestowed and she never really does anything because whenever she does, things get _done, _completely, which makes minor meddling pretty much impossible."

" If you have, indeed, met the Sorceress, that is a great honor indeed." Dumbledore finished what Potter began. " You would not have seen her had she not meant for you to."

Severus thought back to how people had bowed when they saw her. They certainly seemed respectful enough, although he could not say she had wanted them to see her, specifically. Or, perhaps, she did want them to see her, to make way for him. Still, there was something very odd about what Dumbledore just said.

" She said the sorcerers made her my housemaid." Severus quirked an eyebrow. " She's not that, but I highly doubt she is as high and mighty as you say."

Dumbledore chuckled, while the other men choked at Severus's claim.

" A remark no doubt said in jest, my child." He reached forward and took Severus's hands in his own. " She is the one taking care of you?"

" She…she was." Severus frowned. " Is there only one sorceress?"

" No." Dumbledore shook his head. " But only she is referred to as the Sorceress. All others are referred to by their names. Sorceress Marilyn, Sorceress Anna. It seems you are no ordinary sorcerer."

Severus made no reply.

How strange, he reflected, as they moved on to other topics, that he should feel more unsettled by their genuinely warm welcome than he would have had Lily rejected him. He had not expected the level of friendliness, especially not on Potter or Black. They chatted for hours and it felt like the spirits were trying to make up for all the wasted years in life that they had let pass because of mutual animosity. They spoke of the old days at Hogwarts without bitterness, only fond memory, of Harry on his broom and the Weasleys and their generous kindness. At the end Lily hugged him again, told him she gave him her blessings, and made Severus promise to visit soon.

_More power than wizards and witches._

When he returned from the Veil with a heaviness in his heart and a tightness in his throat from seeing those he loved and those he had hated, accepting him all at once, Barb closed the gates and locked them again. The Sorceress had been talking to him, looking, for all the world, like a normal witch, really. She did not seem intimidating as she had at the hall before. It was hard to believe she was the most powerful being in existence. She turned to look at him as he approached and gave him a knowing smile before rising from her seat.

" I trust your visit went well?" She asked.

Severus nodded, though he had a feeling that she knew as much already. " What am I doing here?" He asked.

" They told you, did they not?"

" How is it possible? I was born to a witch."

The Sorceress held out her hand, a herding gesture, indicating that the room of the gates to Death was not the place for such discussion. The two went out into the now nighttime air. The streets were lit with lamps, but it was as busy as every, and as noisy, even as the sky was silent and sleeping above.

Severus thought she was going to wait until they returned inside the hall, but she began explaining as soon as they were out.

" The simple answer was that you were an anomaly."

Severus paused. " Is that sufficient?"

" For now." The Sorceress replied. " Though if you must know the details, you were a predecessor to the popular prophecy of the Boy-Who-Lived, born as the seventh month dies. Without you, that prophecy cannot come to exist."

They crossed the street, and during that time the Sorceress was silent. She led him past the hall, however, and further down, to buildings Severus did not recognize.

" When the Dark Lord of the Wizards rose into power, your Headmaster Dumbledore beseeched the deities for a method of salvation."

" What deities?"

" The creators of magic." The Sorceress replied. " Without them, magic would not exist."

" He could speak to him?"

" He made a prayer, like mortals do in desperate times." The Sorceress replied. " He prayed for a means to end the Dark Reign before it can begin, for once it begins the only way it will end would be to destroy what it reigns. The deities, in turn, asked me to go," Here her expression morphed into that of wryness, " And I required two terms to be met before I devise a way of destroying Voldemort."

Severus stopped. " Why didn't you destroy him yourself?"

" My power is deceiving." Replied the Sorceress, patient, as she has been all this time. " Though I can do much, there is little I can allow myself to do. The fate of wizards and witches is not in my domain of responsibility, and to trespass could mean consequences none of us wish to tolerate."

" But you agreed to help. How is that not interfering?"

The Sorceress smiled. " I meddled, yes, but it was nothing the wizards could not come up with for themselves. Nothing, in fact, that they _had _not come up for themselves. There were many ways the conflict between Tom Riddle and England could have been resolved. My interference introduced no new elements into the situation. I merely reduced the number of possible outcomes, the number of methods to settle the matter."

_One or the other, Harry or Voldemort. _The Sorceress was, then, responsible for the prophecy being the only means to destroy Voldemort. Severus wanted to ask her how this improves matters at all, but he did not speak. Something about her tone made her reply final and non-negotiable.

" What two terms must be met?" He asked instead.

She paused. " The life of Wizard Dumbledore, the one who made the request."

She certainly took her sweet time claiming that, Severus wanted to point out, but he did not. Instead, he asked, " Why such a payment?"

" His request had been for the death of the Dark Lord. Such requests require a fair trade. A life for a life, a death for a death. So long as the Dark Lord lives, he will live. If, and when, he falls, the Dark Lord will subsequently fall. Such was the accord; I guaranteed him that should Voldemort kill him, he himself cannot live."

" The Prophecy made no mention of this."

" The Prophecy mentioned fairly little." The Sorceress began moving again, and Severus followed her. " The Prophecy had, also, little to do with this part of the arrangement. This particular term addresses Voldemort's threat of immortality. It was my promise to Dumbledore that no matter what happens, Voldemort must, in the end, die. It does not guarantee that he should die as soon as Dumbledore dies, or even immediately after."

" That is the second term?"

" No. The second term is what narrowed down the possibilities to two, to give your Headmaster the proper means to focus his attentions and resources. The Prophecy cannot be revealed to Albus Dumbledore unless he can name an individual who surpassed the limits of Time."

" What do you mean?"

" This individual must be able to trespass the restrictions society and nature has placed upon it." The Sorceress looked at him. " I left it for Dumbledore to interpret that requirement."

" And?"

" He named you."

Severus stopped again, forcing the Sorceress to stop. " Why me?" But even as he asked, he felt he knew the answer already.

The Sorceress replied anyway. " You were born into a household under threat, cast into a society that hated your kind, yet you lived to love that society in your own way. You were lured to the Dark Arts of Wizardry, a path none before have returned from, and yet you moved off the road to unite with the cause of Order. You are unkind, but you are kindhearted. You are dark, and your soul tainted, but even so you have a brighter spirit than the purest beings around you. A paradox, a contradiction—you embraced love when you should have embraced hate. Weaker souls before you have been lost—you found yourself despite former laws predicting your demise. In of yourself, you were an anomaly. You scaled higher than all mortals before you, exceeded all expectations and broke rules of good and evil. He declared you the Breaker of Time, for you have broken the laws Time has written down in history."

She looked aside, as if reflecting. " It was then, only then, that the Prophecy could be revealed. And so it was, and was set in motion."

" This doesn't explain how I am a sorcerer."

" What is sorcery, but a strong will over magic?" She extended a hand to him. " You move past the laws of life and magic. One may say you were born a sorcerer. Others may say you turned into one. In all, the magic we practice are all the same, intertwined in the same woven tapestry of Fate. We called you, Master Wizard, the Breaker of Time, and cast the title of sorcerer as well. Now you are one of us."

It was as simple as that? He was named the Breaker of Time, and then he was just called a sorcerer?

" You practice great wandless magic." The Sorceress smiled. " And your abilities as a wizard are spoken of, occasionally, even here. The sorcerers, upon hearing your name, were ingrigued. They wanted to know who this person was, among wizards, that has the same ability to live beyond limits as sorcerers did. They saw you. They saw your fate. They wished to give you a second chance, and so they came to me."

Severus was beginning to understand just how influential this Sorceress was, if everyone, even Dumbledore and other sorcerers, seemed to go to her for seemingly impossible tasks.

" You are a sorcerer, and therefore in my domain of responsibility. I agreed to give you that second chance at life, and here you are." She gestured around her, the streets still bustling, the lamps flickering, and crickets chirping in the bushes that lined the pavement.

" Second chance." Severus found himself uttering, hardly able to believe such a thing.

" Yes." Said she. " Though as sorcerer, you must learn sorcery, and as wizard, you have the option of traversing both worlds." She gestured again. " Shall we walk? You must retire soon, for the night. You have plenty of time to comprehend your situation."

" Where are we going?"

" To my cottage." She smiled. " It is quieter there."

" How come I was not there in the first place?"

" Other sorcerers wished to observe you. Now that you are well, there is no need to keep you here."

A new start. A second chance. A chance to be a better man, even, to be more likeable, perhaps, less lonely, to make new friends, almost like a First Year. Severus was hardly a social person, but even as he knew this he found himself saying, " I don't know anyone here. I knew no one back at home."

" That is the thing about new beginnings." Said the Sorceress. " You start off with nothing. That is the point, is it not?"

" How will I learn sorcery?"

" I will train you."

Severus looked at her. One more question.

" Will I see Lily again?"

" You may see her as often as you wish."

And the rest of the journey was spent in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Three

" Dad! Dad check it out! Nimbus 4000! It's the coolest thing I've ever seen! Dad! Dad what are you doing?"

" Hold on, son," Harry adjusted his glasses, " So I am to press my wand here, is that correct?"

" Yes sir." Said the salesgirl. " That will activate the warding over a three-acre area."

" Hm." Harry mused.

" Dad!" Albus stumped over to his father. " Dad, what are you looking at?"

" Alarm system."

" Dad, we can cast wards ourselves. Why do you need an alarm system?"

" Wards take energy. This thing doesn't. How much is this?"

" Sixty thousand and galleons."

" Blimey!" The father and son heard a familiar voice exclaim. " Harry, you're not actually buying that, are you?"

" Well what did you expect it to cost," a woman's voice pointed out, " Two sickles?"

" Sixty thousand's too much." Ginny said from next to Harry, ignoring her brother and sister-in-law. " You only cover three acres. I'll give you fifty thousand."

" Fifty-nine. Three acres is still a lot, and it's well protected."

" Fifty-five." Harry offered. " Three acres really isn't a lot. It may be well-protected, but we are forced to pick and choose."

" Alright." Said the salesgirl. " Fifty-five it is."

" Can we go look at the broom now?" Albus asked. " Come on Dad, I want Slytherins to win for once.

" I'll get to you on that." Harry replied, as he wrote out the check. " Fifty-five thousand galleons."

" Pleasure doing business with you, sir."

" Now what's this about the Nimbus 4000?" Harry asked.

Among the various equipment for Quidditch, Harry looked up and saw, through the store window, a shadow of black robes sweep across. His heart stilled for a moment, because some irrational part of his mind thought that it was Severus Snape. Even as he quickly dismissed that notion, a bit of nostalgia wafted through him as he remembered the first time Snape had ever saved his life.

How many years has it been? Twenty. It has been twenty years. Albus is now starting his second year at Hogwarts, and in a year, Lily will also be starting her first year. How fast time seems to fly now, and it seemed like it was yesterday when Harry was still surrounded by all his friends, the snarky Potions Master, the benign yet mysterious Dumbledore and his phoenix, Fawkes. There were so many things he did not understand back then, and now that he understood it was too late. Dear friends have died, people close to him, people he was close to. People he had wronged.

" Dad? You okay?"

" Yeah," Harry shook his head, to shake himself out of the rut he was in. " I'm okay. What's going on?"

oO

" Yes Lily." Severus tried not to frown. " I know Lily. If you keep talking people will start staring at me."

He heard a jingle, that of her spirit laughing, and scowled a little.

" I am glad you are so amused at my expense."

A burst of affection. Spirits, it seemed, can love more than one person at once, which, he supposed, was fine, considering they were spirits. And it was a comfort to have such a close friend back again, after all those years. He had established a semi-permanent connection with the Veil, from visiting it so many times, such that even when he was not actually in the realm of the dead, he could still communicate with them. Lily was often the target. However, they could not see each other, which made it still more preferable for him to actually visit her.

Today was different though. Today was the first day, twenty years after he had 'died', that he had stepped foot in the Wizarding World. He was nervous, too nervous to go to Spinner's End yet, and in fact, Lily was nervous too. She was not sure how he would take it, and wanted to be with him as he re-explored the realm of his childhood, and most of his adulthood. Whenever he saw something that brought up memories, she would start chattering with him to keep him light-spirited. It was incredibly distracting, hence the common urge to frown, but it was also working to keep him from becoming morose.

Twenty years. Twenty years since he was apprenticed to the Sorceress. Though he had not understood, during the first few days, how the Sorceress was so awe-inspiring in any fashion, it did not take him long afterward to learn that he had been entrusted into the care of nothing less than a deity. The Sorceress had lived for thousands of years, and knew almost everything. He had never seen her make a mistake, and her easy personality and great wisdom allowed the two of them to quickly become more than mentor and student, but close friends and confidantes.

He had learned so much. He had learned more than just magic; he had learned how to think of himself, to be less defensive of his abilities, a true mental and emotional confidence. He had been…content, with the sorcerers. He felt a serenity with them that he never imagined he would ever feel, not after all the mistakes he had made. The past hurt, the grief, the regret, melted away with time, and now as he walked along Diagon Alley, he _felt _different, different from the last time he step foot here.

The realm of mages and sorcerers was a world of its own, and it was a haven Severus did not even realize he needed. The Wizarding world was safe now, but still felt harsher, more untamed, more chaotic, than the orderly utopia of those who live so closely with the realm of the dead. He had not even wanted to return here.

But the Sorceress told him he should. It was his world, she said, one in which he had lived in for more than thirty years of his life, one where he had spent his childhood, one that had shaped him into the man fitting to bear the powers of a sorcerer. He should acknowledge it as a part of his life, even if it was the past. Or did his memories of being a Death Eater still haunt him?

No, not so much anymore. He had done terrible things, but at times, as the sorcerers kept telling him, terrible things simply must be done, must happen, and as the world moves on, he must move with it.

He had not understood why she advised him to come back here. But, viewing the familiar shops of his past life, he was starting to realize that, whatever the reason, he was glad he came.

Twenty years.

James Potter commented on his hair, claiming that the fact that Severus washed it and had funny sorcerer headgear on ensured that he would not be recognized, so he should really take that hood off because wearing a hood during the summer afternoons in Diagon Alley was just plain strange.

" Thank you for the input, Potter." Severus muttered. " But I think I would prefer being strange to being recognized. Besides, the 'funny sorcerer headgear' will make me look strange anyway."

Potter told Severus that strange just comes with the territory of being Snivellus, though he used the nickname affectionately, and said that he really should not be so cautious about revealing his appearance—it was going to get revealed anyway. Not to mention, he could always change his appearance; why wasn't he? And didn't he want to see their son?

" _You _want to see your son." Severus curled his lip. " Through me. I'm not ready. And," He paused to think of the proper way to address James's question about changing his appearance, " I want to come here as myself. Seriously."

Lily scolded her husband for taking advantage of Severus.

" It's the only thing he knows how to do." Severus remarked, though without much venom. He stared at the store in front of him. Ollivander's.

Good heavens, how long has it been since he last used a _wand?_ His wand had gone ever since he 'died' by Voldemort's snake. Old Ollivander would recognize him though; that man has a ridiculously good memory, but there was a yearning to look inside that shop, where he had obtained his first wand. He wondered what sort of wand he would get this time around.

Lily told her husband to leave them alone. Severus felt Potter's presence recede. She then asked Severus if he was going to go in.

Without answering, but with a slight roll of his eyes, Severus entered the shop.

oO

Harry and Albus met up with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Rose and Hugo just as Ron was exclaiming emphatically about knowing what he saw.

" Only he has billowy robes like that. And cloak."

" Honestly, Ronald," Hermione scowled.

" Merlin."

" What's going on?" Albus asked, before Harry could.

" Nothing."

" What." Harry folded his arms, giving his friend a playful glare.

" Well," Ron shrugged. " Saw a guy that looked just like…Snape, you know."

An awkward silence followed, for everyone except the children knew how affected Harry was by any mention of Snape. Harry was quiet for a moment, before saying,

" Yeah, I saw him too."

The tension, which had built after Ron made his admission, broke.

" Yeah! It was creepy! You think he's teaching Defense this year?"

" I don't know." Harry shrugged. " I don't keep such close tabs on Hogwarts. You should probably ask Neville."

" Yeah." Ron nodded. " Well, are we all set? Let's go get some ice cream!"

" Yeah!" The children exclaimed.

Ice cream it was, with the children chattering happily in their own conversation, and the adults discussing what they will do during the times the children were at school.

" Mum insists you come over again weekend after school starts." Ron rolled his eyes. " The number of family reunions is just ridiculous, though I do want to see Bill again."

" I'd love to come." Harry looked at Ginny to see what her preferences were.

" I'm sure Lily would want to go. Lily?" She called to her youngest, who was licking the side of her spoon. " Weekend after September 1st, want to go with Mum and Dad over to Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur?"

" Sure." Said the young one, with relative disinterest, returning to her ice cream.

" Kids." Hermione grinned affectionately.

A buzzing went off in Harry's head all of the sudden, signalling that his wireless was going off. He put down his spoon with some irritation and took out the fake Galleon that served as a wizard pager.

FORREST LITTERER

" For Merlin's sake," Harry muttered with some distaste, " Can't a guy go shop for his kids' school supplies without getting calls from work?"

" Who is it?" Ginny asked.

" Litterer." Harry replied, ignoring the sudden giggles from the children. " Ack, I'll ask if I can use the Floo for a call. I'll be right back."

The Department had bad news, however.

" Sir, the entire wizarding village near Wickville has died."

" What?" Harry blinked, more shocked than horrified. " What do you mean the entire village has died?"

" They just…maybe you should come, sir…it's…pretty bad." Said the Auror.

Harry, half dumbstruck, returned to the group. " Hey Ginny, can you take the kids home? I need to head over to the Ministry."

" What happened?" Ginny asked.

" Would that I know." Though Harry had a feeling that in the end, what Litterer said was absolutely right. " I'll meet you back at home as soon as possible."

" Okay, but don't be late for dinner." Ginny and he exchanged a peck, and Harry left his family to go to the Ministry.

oO

" One moment!" Ollivander called from the back as the bell announced Severus's entrance. The wizard-turned-sorcerer glanced around the dusty shop with a heavy weight of nostalgia, which Lily's bright presence could not completely alleviate. It was, Severus decided, one of the few remnants of his past he never viewed with regret; coming into his shop to select his very own wand before going to Hogwarts. It was an absolute neutral memory, with no positive or negative feelings about it whatsoever.

" Ah, sir, what can I do for you?" Ollivander asked.

He was so old now, Severus realized. After twenty years, the man had aged even more than Severus remembered. In his eye there was still a gleam of intelligence and mystery, but he was just really old now. He half wondered why Ollivander did not recognize him, then remembered he was wearing his hood. He moved his hood off his head slowly, aware of the circlet that marked him as a high-ranking sorcerer gleaming in the dim lights.

" Hello sir." He said, much bolder than he had been as a pre-First Year. " I would like to purchase a wand."

There was something incredibly funny yet grave about the situation. Severus wanted to laugh. Lily seemed like she was going to have a heart attack. Ollivander just stared at him.

" Dragon heart-string…oak." He said. " Thirteen and a half inches."

That was his wand, Severus remembered with a funny glow in his heart. This was Ollivander, not saying his name, but recognizing him anyway.

" Do you happen to have another one of those?" He asked lightly.

The old wandmaker considered him for a while longer before moving to search for the wand. Severus wondered if the other wizard knew what the head circlet meant. He would not be surprised, truthfully, if Ollivander did. The man always seemed to know more than one would expect from his trade.

Ollivander returned, and handed him a box with a wand inside. " Give it a wave."

Severus picked it up, felt it give an uncomfortable tug at his magic as something went flying across the room. He suddenly had a funny notion that Ollivander was strange because he got hit in the head by a wayward wand. He put it back in the box.

" Ah. Not that."

About twenty wands later and a few near-disasters, Severus was holding a pure white wand. He remembered, when he was holding his first wand so many years ago, the wand had filled him with a warm glow, so warm and familiar that he instantly knew this wand was definitely his.

The white wand did no such thing. It reached out and tapped into his magic, melded with part of it and made it glow, but it was not as complete. And no wonder. Severus was a sorcerer now. He did not even need the wand.

" Perhaps you should save this for someone who needs it." He said to the older wizard, holding it out.

Ollivander shook his head. " You never know." He said, refusing to accept the wand.

Severus withdrew the box. That is true. He might need the wand, if only to keep up appearances. Lily gave him an encouraging prod.

" You should find Mr. Potter." Ollivander suddenly said.

Severus inclined his head. " Why should I do that?"

" It would do both of you good to meet." Said Ollivander. " There are some unspoken words that need to be said."

Severus felt Lily's enthusiastic agreement. He ignored her for now. " Perhaps later."

" Fair enough." Ollivander replied, and Severus handed him the money. He walked out without turning back, into the bright afternoon.

_Severus._

Severus blinked, and Lily balked and fled. For some reason Lily was deathly afraid of the Sorceress, even though the Sorceress never did anything to her. Severus suspected that it was because the Sorceress had some power over the dead that she could choose to use, but never had. He was glad that she was so reserved about her powers now. In the beginning, when she mentored him, faced with all her capabilities, he had actually resented her for not doing, for not acting enough. Then he realized that it was those with great power who must practice the greatest self restraint.

_Aralyn, _He called telepathically, for that was her name, _What is going on? I was not away that long._

_Just warning you. _The Sorceress replied kindly. _Something is wrecking the Wizarding World. I only know because you are there and I was keeping track._

_What? What's wrecking the Wizarding World?_

_A rogue sorcerer, I believe. _She sounded a bit miffed. _I would deal with him personally, but I am reluctant, and I feel you are more than capable of handling it if you so wish._

_Do you want me to take care of this rogue?_

_Only if you want to. You are, after all, not obligated to do anything, but wizards were part of your world, and this may be a way to put to use what you have learned._

_Is he dangerous?_ Severus curled a lip.

_Hm. _The Sorceress would not answer. _Do not do anything asinine, that is all. I hope the rest of your visit goes well._

_Thanks Aralyn. Might as well do something. _Severus looked around. Well, this visit was going to wind up being rather interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Four

" What do we have?" Harry asked.

" Wickville."

" I know that." Harry snapped. " What's this about everyone dying?"

" You better see it for yourself."

The village looked fine when Harry first apparated. There were many Aurors, but it looked normal otherwise.

Until the bodies were pointed out to him. Bodies, nearly a hundred of them, on stretchers, to be taken to the morgue. Large ones, for the adults, small ones for children, even infants.

Harry swore.

" What the hell happened?"

" Would that we know sir," Said one of the younger Aurors, " History spells say that they just fell to the ground and died."

" Run it for me again." Harry ordered.

The witch who had been casting the spell on site obeyed, and a vortex formed to show the view of the village from where they stood. For a few minutes all seemed well. There were people going back and forth, someone walking past the road, and all of the sudden everyone collapsed, almost simultaneously, and the bodies lay there for the Aurors to find. All of the houses were still standing, all of the trees were still standing; it was just as the Auror had said: everyone simply died.

Harry ran through all the curses he knew, all the spells that could possibly cover such a wide range, but nothing came up. " Tell St. Mungos to forward the reports over to the Ministry." He ordered the Auror. " I want to know what spell was used to kill these people."

" Yes sir."

" Who's in charge of the case?"

" Reds, sir."

Oh good. Reds was a capable Auror, with a very competent team.

" He knows what to do." Harry turned and apparated back to Ministry grounds. This was not good.

Who would do such a thing? What kind of spell? Harry had never heard of such a thing, not even from Voldemort. With Voldemort, there was a clear massacre. Death Eaters, swarming a community. Actual killing curses. People did not just all die for no reason.

Unless there was something in the air?

But it was up to Reds to work on it. Harry was the Department Head. He is no longer directly involved with fieldwork. He could only pressure his Aurors, and deal with the rest of Ministry politics.

Unbeknown to Harry or the Aurors, Severus appeared at the site of the village, hidden behind a hut of a small family of three, who by now have arrived already at the St. Mungos morgue. He flinched and jumped, hovering in the air and staring at the dirt he had stood upon intently.

" Aralyn," He said out loud, as he was used to speaking out loud with her, " The sorcerer had claimed this place. I sense his seal at work."

It was said that much of the sorcerers' power was due to their seals. Each sorcerer had a seal, which is their badge of authority. Anything its claiming side touches, when activated, will claim, or try to claim, whatever object or being it is in contact with for the owner. The only way to defend against its binding influence was to be more powerful than the owner of the seal; otherwise the only way to resist the claim is to kill the sorcerer—which is extremely difficult if the sorcerer already has claimed influence. Once claimed, the sorcerer that owns the seal has complete control over what the claimed does and what will happen to it. Nothing can affect the object or being without the sorcerer's consent, and the sorcerer's will alone is enough to determine the object or being's fate. The item being claimed could be anything, from a living being to a whole area of land. Most sorcerers did not use their seals often, for every time they claim something, they must consciously be aware of it or they will temporarily lose influence over it, and it is then free to destroy the sorcerer. Such responsibility is taxing on the sorcerer, and therefore those like the Sorceress rarely, if ever, use their seals.

_He willed everyone to die._ The Sorceress guessed.

" Yes." Severus glanced at the silent house. " And they obeyed by subsequently dying."

The Sorceress made no further reply, and Severus knew she was a little annoyed. Had she been a less powerful sorceress, Severus knew she would have hunted down the culprit herself. As it were, her power was such that if she does become involved in anything, the results were often much more epic than needed, or even wanted. It was not really her magic that is to blame; the Sorceress has a fine control over her power; it was her fame, her influence, the fact that her responsibility stretches so wide. She draws attention when she does act, and the attention exponentiates anything she did.

Still, she was a irked enough to appear in person, materializing beside him in a shimmer.

" Can you locate him?" She asked.

Severus tried, closing his eyes to sense around him. " No. I am certain he is nearby but…" He shook his head after another attempt. " He is blocking me. How do you know it's a he?"

She just knew, he could tell. She was 'almost' omniscient, according to her, but the 'almost' is rarely relevant. She turned to him, her dark eyes searching. " Do you still wish to take this case?"

The difference between having her as a mentor, and Albus. The old wizard was a good man, but times had been difficult, and for anything Albus had to require from Severus some sacrifice, some exchange, if only to make the world a better place, if only to repent himself. After twenty years of finding what he had not found in the Wizarding world, Severus could hardly bring himself to resent the old wizard for something he could not help. Albus had so much on his shoulders, and the prophecy had dictated that Albus himself, could do nothing to alleviate the wizarding world of its darkness; a frustrating restriction, to be sure. But with Aralyn, the Sorceress had never required from Severus anything she did not require of herself. And being someone who often stood in the sidelines, with minimal interference, she never required him to do anything at all. But she presented choices, choices which, she felt, held his best interests at heart. Emotional wounds he did not even know still existed were cured and healed through her encouragement. She never put his life in danger, never put him in a situation where he could even get injured, really. She was a grandmother, a mother, a sister, all at once. And whenever he refrained from taking an offer, she never judged him for it. _You have time to get ready, and you will be ready when you are. Some people will never be ready, but you are not one of them. There is no rush, no hurry._ No pressure.

His choice. His preference entirely. Never, in all of Severus's life, had he been so in control of it.

" Who is this sorcerer?" Severus asked instead.

" I am not sure." Said the Sorceress. " Since I first noticed him, no one referred to his name. His thoughts are erratic and unfocused, it is a wonder he manages to get anything done. The seal he seemed to have scavenged from a dead sorcerer."

" Where?"

" The Wizarding World." She cocked an eyebrow. " He wears his hood over his face even when he sleeps. I cannot tell you what he looks like either. But you should be able to guess, once you find him. He is not hard to find."

" Is he powerful?"

" Not as powerful as you." She replied. " But strong enough to do some damage, as we see here."

" Odd." Severus looked around. " Claiming this land has no purpose."

" I doubt he really had one. Well?"

Oh, right. He was supposed to tell her if he wanted to take this case. " I think I will take it. You said there were issues in the Wizarding World that I cannot resolve so long as I avoid it. I might as well, since I am here."

" Alright." Said the Sorceress, " Though you need not trouble yourself too much. He is not very harmless, but you have friends who are anxious about you. Rarth wants you to show him around, by the way. He is especially interested in the famous Bertie Blotts, I think?"

Severus grinned. " I will go fetch him soon enough."

" Alright." The Sorceress smiled. " I will keep in touch. Make sure you enjoy yourself around here in the meantime, and you can go home again whenever you want."

" Alright. I will see you soon, Aralyn."

" Behave yourself."

She disappeared.

" Since when do I not?" Severus muttered, though with good humor.

" Reds! Check this out!"

Startled by the proximity of the voice, Severus went invisible, and three Aurors stepped onto the lawn of the house he had been hiding behind.

" What the hell? Looks like some crop circle, lawn style."

_Muggle, _Severus knew.

" Drat." The leading Auror stooped down. " Looks like an insignia of some sort. Hey!" He called over his shoulder. " Evidence here!"

" How long's it been here?"

" Run a scan."

Severus watched. The spell's vortex showed the image of a small piece of metal that looked like a badge hover over the lawn. Then it grew large, as seals often do when they are claiming a plot of land along with its inhabitants. The badge struck the ground at full size, and then promptly shrunk, disappeared, leaving the round, intricate symbol on the lawn.

" What on earth was that?" Asked a young Auror. " I've never seen anything like it."

" We'll have to take this as evidence. Marty! We need to bag this."

Severus watched as they dug a square plot of the lawn containing the symbol out with several spells, then, preservation spells, shrinking spells, before dropping the miniature plot into a bag.

" Lot of research to be done." Another young Auror said.

" Yeah." Said the first young Auror.

There was nothing else to see here, Severus decided. He disappeared.

oO

" You missed dinner." Ginny said as Harry flooed in. " What took you so long?"

" Things going wrong. What else?" Harry brushed the soot off his robes once he regained his balance. Even after all these years, the floo network seems to have something against him, and constantly tries to belch him out. He had learned not to fall over, but just barely. " Village outside Wickville. Everyone just died. I have never ever seen such a thing in my entire life."

" What do you mean, everyone just died?" His wife asked, confused.

" That's what I mean." Harry hung his coat. " Everyone just dropped dead. Literally. In the middle of doing stuff. It didn't matter what they were doing." He frowned. " Maybe it's a muggle thing?"

" What sort of muggle thing would do that?"

" Bomb." Harry replied.

" Aren't bombs kind of noticeable?"

" Depends on what type." Harry frowned. " The issue is, if it is a bomb, the wards around the village should have protected everyone in it. Unless it is a nuclear bomb, or a hydrogen bomb, or whatever bomb it is they are using now that destroys anything and everything; but the houses were still standing."

Ginny was quiet, and looked not a little fearful. Harry sighed. " We'll get to the bottom of this. Promise."

" Yeah, I know." She nodded.

" Kids in bed?"

" I wish." Ginny rolled her eyes, before Harry suddenly heard thumping down the stairs.

" Dad!" Lily called out, " You're back! You missed dinner!" She frowned. Albus and James joined her.

" Yeah, sorry kids." Harry shrugged. " Gotta eat the leftovers now."

" We saved you some pie." James called out.

" Thanks kids." Harry grinned. Disinterested now, the children went back upstairs.

" Merlin," Harry muttered as he ate, " I really don't want to deal with the press."

" Then don't."

" Have to. This is big. If I don't talk, well, hell will blow over." He swallowed. " Hopefully Reds comes up with something. He usually does."

" Mm."

The rest of the meal (Harry's meal) passed with some talk of what was going on tomorrow, what the world of politics was like these days, the Minister, the Aurors, Ginny's co-workers, what the kids did during the time Harry had been away. The topic of Wickville was avoided for the sake of everyone involved. There was no use talking about it when there was no information confirmed yet.

oO

Hogwarts looked as it always did during the summer before school started. Night had fallen, and many of the towers were dark and still. The Great Hall, however, was brightly lit, and Severus flew up to the windows, knowing the reflection of the glass made it impossible for the professors inside to see him.

Minerva was not there; he had not expected her to be, she was due to retire the year he 'died', anyway. There were few professors, actually, that he recognized. Was that Neville Longbottom?

Lily giggled. She told him not to traumatize the poor boy.

" Oh please." Severus muttered. " How do you suppose I do that? The boy will probably wet himself as soon as he sees me, back from the dead."

He is a man now, Lily reminded him, and Severus perceived an air of confidence he had not seen in the child before. Their meeting would be interesting.

Why not invite himself in? Lily asked. Surely the Headmaster or Headmistress would recognize him.

" But I don't know who the Headmaster of Headmistress is." Severus replied. " Not to mention, how would they recognize me? It's been twenty years."

Well as Headmaster, he must have a portrait hung in the office.

" As if." Severus rolled his eyes. " I left Hogwarts, supposedly, in its time of need. I abandoned my post. It's not going to show up in the office."

Lily was oddly silent, in a way that implied she knew something he did not.

" What," Severus demanded, " What? It showed up anyway?"

Silence.

" Lily!"

Well, it did not show up immediately after he died, but after a little bit of tweaking here and there—

" Someone put my portrait up?" Severus felt oddly touched. " Who? Can't be Malfoy; he has no power over such things—"

No it was not Malfoy.

Severus quickly ran his mind over all the Slytherins he still remembered. None of them seemed the type.

My son, you jerk.

Severus hovered back away from the window in surprise. " You are not serious."

A burst of irritation. What are you saying? Harry is perfectly capable of seeing the good in you. He had it set up at the earliest opportunity.

" This I have to see." Severus appeared in the Headmaster's office, startling all the portraits. The office was much more conservative than Dumbledore's office, with a more home feel to it than anything. " How did my portrait even move when I'm still alive?"

" Golly!" Cried one of the portraits, " It's Headmaster Snape!"

" Severus!" Dumbledore's portrait exclaimed. " You are alive!"

Right. Portraits are copies, not actual people. The portrait did not know that Severus was a sorcerer, so of course it would be surprised. Having spoken to Dumbledore himself all these years, it was a bit redundant to speak to his portrait, but Severus did so anyway.

" Hello Albus." He looked to the portrait next to it. Indeed, Lily was right. There was a portrait of himself. He was sitting there with a hideous scowl. Wow, he looked very sickly back then compared to now.

" This is not possible." Said the Snape in the portrait. " What potion did you use?"

He meant that Severus must have used a potion to look like him. His own portrait did not know he was alive either.

" And how did you apparate in here? It's impossible to apparate in Hogwarts!"

Severus started chuckling. Merlin's beard, he was like this when he was a wizard? He was ridiculous! In fact, coming here, the entire office, the fact that the portraits speak and talk, that alone was rather ridiculous as well.

" I guess Potter did set up a portrait for me." He murmured. He wondered if he should wipe out their memory of this visit. He shrugged. He really did not care that the portraits know; everyone would eventually know anyway, or at least the people who cared at all for the news. He sat down on the chair that all the Headmasters have used over the ages, ignoring the sharp inquiries for the portraits, and reflected, back, long ago, when he had first stepped into this office, Headmaster Dumbledore offering him a lemon drop. Then, as a lost Death Eater, baring his Dark Mark to the Headmaster with full expectations of being thrown into Azkaban. The Headmaster had looked at him, eyes searching and filled with a kind of fear, a disbelief, as if he dared not hope that Severus had been genuine.

A hollow feeling formed in his chest. Severus had not realized the office would affect him so. Aralyn was right, once again. He thought he had freed himself of everything, but in fact, there was only so much he could resolve without coming back to the Wizarding World. Even with Albus free to talk with him whenever he liked, the mere fact that he was in this office put everything in a new light.

Breaker of Time, indeed. Albus was not only happy that he had turned to the Light; he had made the Prophecy possible. He had paved a path for Harry Potter to walk. He had given Harry Potter his destiny.

Darkness seemed to surround him then, his own mental darkness, as he remembered his final year here, the death of the Headmaster weighing heavily on him even as the portrait had planned with him. Everyone had felt the climax was coming, and there was a desperation as time ran out, to turn the tides at the last minute; everything was important, and there was so much to do, so little time to do it, and no assurances made. He had never felt as alone then, ostracized by his seeming betrayal, with nothing to confide in but a shadow of Albus's memory.

He had been all alone.

Lily woke him out of his dark musings with a sharp bark of a command—he was to stop sulking and to have fun, as the Sorceress commanded, and she would not have him wallowing in what happened twenty years ago. The portraits had gone silent, simply watching him warily when he did not answer any of their demands.

" Yes Lily." He smirked, and did a little salute. " I will 'have fun', as you say." Then he looked at the past Headmasters, including himself. " I think I'll take that."

He waved his hand at his own portrait (it is so strange and amusing to see his own portrait and interact with it) and it disappeared with a jingle.

Lily asked what he did with it.

" Just stored it someplace. I should probably put it up in my living room, just to remember that Potter actually put up a portrait. Good grief, what possessed the boy?"

And he left the office.


	5. Chapter 5

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Five

" Reds! Give me an update!" Harry called out as he walked from the lift the next morning.

" St. Mungos reported no anomalies in common with any of the individuals at Wickville. Couple of folks had signs of hypertension and aging, but those weren't the reasons they died and wasn't relevant with the young ones, and they found absolutely no reason why any of them could of died."

Harry scowled. " What, no spells, no muggle ways, even?"

" No infections, no heart attacks, no strokes, no asphyxiations, no wounds. No curses, hexes, spells, charms, or anything that leaves any magical residue anyway. Even Ancient Magic is ruled out."

" Then what the hell made all these people die? People don't just die for no reason, and not a hundred people at once!"

" We're working on that, sir. There's something else that is problematic."

" What is it?"

" Colins found a lawn circle near one of the houses. It was actually strategically placed, right at the center of the village. We had it excavated and brought here but, ah, the circle's gone."

" What the hell is a lawn circle?"

" Crop circle on a lawn, sir." Said the Auror who appeared to be Colins. " Ah, I just called it that and it caught, I guess."

Harry was not in the mood, but he did not remonstrate the young man. " Crop circle on a lawn? How do you lose such a thing? You preserved it, didn't you?"

" Well, yes, but it left the excavated section. We went back to the lawn and discovered that the insignia was now in the dirt under the block we just excavated, and we did a test and brought the dirt block out of the village. As soon as it left the village the insignia slid away and went back to the position it was at."

_What?_ Harry blinked, bewildered, as he tried to interpret what Reds just said. " So you're saying the insignia moved back."

" Yes."

" How'd it move back?"

" It slid over the ground." Colins said solemnly. " We saw. It was like a shadow. It then settled in the pit and glowed."

What kind of curse or spell would do something like that? " Have the analysts stationed in the village then. We'll use the house next to it as a base for their lab. If the insignia, as you called it, refuses to leave the boundaries of the village, then work in it. Tell me when you have an update!"

" Yes sir!"

Crop circles moving over the ground, people dying for absolutely no reason—Harry knew this was going to turn out to be a very bad day.

" Director Potter!" His secretary, Margaret Miner, called out, " There is a message for you, sir. The Headmistress of Hogwarts wishes to speak to you."

Oh. Good. Right. This is going to be a good day. Because Headmistress Chang is always bringing him good news. Not that she never does, but still, no doubt, the Ravenclaw had something to say about Wickville, or perhaps something unrelated but just as annoying. At this time of the year, the Headmasters have better things to do than socialize with the Heads of the Auror Department.

" Oh this is going to be great." Harry muttered dryly. " Have her floo in."

" Yes sir."

A few minutes later, Cho flooed in, her robes elegant and graceful. Harry sat down a little heavily in his chair.

" Headmistress, what can I do for you?"

" Well, for one," She sat down, " Something very strange happened last night."

" Oh?" Harry blinked. _Strange _would not be his word for it. " At Hogwarts?" Because Wickville was, while troubling, not within the responsibility of the Hogwarts Headmaster.

" You do remember the portrait you set up for Headmaster Severus Snape?"

Harry thought something, his throat, perhaps, just dropped into his stomach with a _thunk. What's this about Snape all of the sudden? First seeing someone like him at Diagon Alley, now Cho's mentioning it._

" What about it?"

" It's gone."

Harry took a full minute to register what that meant.

" It's gone." He repeated.

" It's gone."

" How?"

" I don't know." Cho shook her head. " The wards in my office have not been tampered with, I was not aware of anyone entering the office, and I have no knowledge of any other logical means that could possibly explain its disappearance. The portraits of the other headmasters, however, including that of Headmaster Dumbledore, were adamant that Severus Snape himself took the portrait."

Harry felt his temper rise, and he swiveled in his chair to avoid snapping at Cho. This was not her fault, and she knows, as everyone who deals with him knew, how much he had come to respect that man. They would not dare mock Snape to him. She was not joking.

But, even if she was serious, what she said could not possibly be true.

" That is impossible." He finally said when he collected himself. " Severus Snape is dead. I saw him die. I gathered his memories as he died. There is no way he could have survived. And even if he did,"

He fell silent.

" Even if he did, he would have shown up much earlier." The Headmistress said softly. " I am sorry, Harry. I do not mean to suggest any of this is true. But this is all the evidence I have, and the portrait is missing. I do not know how it can happen without my knowledge, even if it is Snape himself. Therefore, I need your help."

This is turning out to be just a _fine _day all around, people dying at the same time for absolutely no reason, crop circles moving back and forth evading Wizard analysts, and Headmaster Snape's portrait just disappearing with a puff without so much as a " By your leave" to the wards at Hogwarts, and portraits of old Headmasters declaring that Severus Snape is alive and well, waltzed into the office and took off with his own portrait.

" Call Abercrombie." He told his secretary. " Merlin, my head hurts."

Abercrombie entered about five minutes later, looking a bit confused. " Sir?"

" Abercrombie, you are going to take your team and go to Hogwarts with Headmistress Chang." Harry ordered. " Someone stole Headmaster Snape's portrait. You are to find out who stole it, how, and if possible, bring it back."

" Uh, yes sir."

" Thank you, Director Potter." Cho gave him a nod.

" Thanks for telling me this Cho." Harry shook her hand.

" I know it means a lot to you." Cho smiled tentatively at him.

Harry just sighed. She had no idea. Well she did, but, well.

oO

" You feeling okay, kid?" Rarth asked. Rarth was a sorcerer that was well over three hundred years old, with curly blonde hair, a boyish grin, and hazel eyes. He was actually not as tall as Severus, but he looked taller because of his bulk, while Severus was slim and light. Rarth always wore loud colors, but not in the offensive way Dumbledore used to wear them. Just now, he had materialized without warning, in front of Severus.

Severus had found it irritating, at first, that he was referred to as a child, but considering the circumstances he just had to accept it. As such though, Rarth was very fond of Severus, and the two often spent time together after Severus's training with the Sorceress. He had other friends as well, other sorcerers, but Rarth was the closest friend. " Thought you were going to spend a night at Spinner's End instead of at your hut."

" I brought back a souvenir though."

" Yeah, you were a wreck as a Headmaster. It's kind of funny, actually, how unpleasant you used to be."

" I will take that as a compliment." Severus replied flatly, though his eyes glittered with good humor. " So what brings you to Hogsmeade?"

" This place is called Hogsmeade? Oh it is Hogsmeade. Huh. Don't see any students."

" School has not started yet. It starts on the first day of September."

" Ah. Soon then?"

" Mm."

" You should apply for a position."

" They probably already have a potions master." Severus replied dryly.

" Well then apply for something else. What was it, Defense?"

Severus quirked an eyebrow. " _Why?"_

" Just for fun." Rarth shrugged. " I want to see how you do it."

Darkness around him again. Teaching potions had not been a happy time. He shook his head again, wondering why he was so affected. He had gotten over it years ago.

" Hey," Rarth laid a hand on his shoulder, " Whatever you want, alright Severus?"

Whatever he wanted. He was in control of his own life.

" Let's go to Honeydukes." Severus suddenly smiled. " It's usually the first place the students go."

Rarth beamed. " That sounds like it!" He declared. " Show me the enigma that is the wizard's life!"

Severus raised his eyebrows and walked forward, his friend laughing.

They bought some candy, which Rarth declared was different though not necessarily better, and it was not until they were sitting right by the road that divided into Hogwarts and Hogsmeade that Rarth offered his help with the rogue sorcerer.

" I'm fairly certain you can handle it on your own, but I am around if you feel like something strange happened."

" I will keep it in mind." Severus promised.

" Don't go taking on more than you can handle. Or want to."

" You don't have to do this either."

" Are you kidding? I want some violence, actually. Some excitement. About time this rogue showed up. I was getting bored."

For all his years and experience, sometimes Rarth is more of a child than Severus was.

" Aralyn did not really give me much to go on."

" The Sorceress probably did not want you to treat this as a mission."

" Am I that transparent?"

" Do you really need me to answer that?"

" But on the other hand the longer this sorcerer is on the loose the more people he can potentially hurt."

" Now that the Sorceress has noticed him, I doubt he would be capable of doing much damage."

" True." The Sorceress would probably alert him if she sensed him putting some plot into action. In the meantime, Severus could afford to while away the days at his leisure.

This was better than retirement, he mused. But indeed, sorcerers, after their training, had very little they actually need to do. It seemed the purpose of a sorcerer's life was to simply enjoy it while it lasts. And it can last a long while, as the Sorceress is demonstrating.

" Do you want to show me Spinner's End?" Rarth asked, changing the subject.

Severus tried to answer, but found no words formed in his mind. He was silent.

" I see." Rarth said quietly. " There is nothing for you to be afraid of."

" I'm not."

" Well, I should not say 'afraid', exactly, but you are reluctant to go. Why? Bad memories?"

" Memories in general." Severus stared off in the distance. " Twenty years…it is a lot to take in."

" True." Rarth fell silent.

For a long time the two sorcerers stared off into the distance, silent in their companionship.

oO

" Why would Snape steal a portrait of himself?" Harry asked in a dry voice. He had come personally to the office to observe the wall where all the headmaster portraits were. As expected, Snape's was not there.

They had run a scan over all the portraits, but there was nothing to explain why all of the portraits were insisting that Headmaster Snape himself appeared in the office as if he apparated, and took the portrait away before disapparating.

" He must have used Polyjuice."

" Where on earth would he get anything from Snape after twenty years?" Harry suddenly did a double take. He was not a potions expert, but—" How long do such potions last?"

" Their shelf-life isn't twenty years, Harry. There is no way this was polyjuice." Dumbledore's portrait said.

" Well the portraits weren't tampered with in any way. That means someone who looked like Snape did actually pop in here somehow."

" Of course we were not tampered with!"

" You guys are to remain silent." Harry pointed at the Headmasters. " I have enough of a headache distinguishing between actual living people. I don't need portraits included in the chatter. So you're saying a Snape look-alike waltzed off with his portrait. He just popped in here and disapparated."

" You can't apparate in Hogwarts though."

" He snuck in through the doors, perhaps. Or maybe it was a Portkey."

" My wards would have been alerted." Cho pointed out.

Harry swore under his breath. " Bloody hell."

So until further notice, Snape had apparated into the Headmaster's office, said hello to Dumbledore and himself, then stole his own portrait and disapparated. " Merlin preserve me."

" Director, do you think this is connected at all to the Wickville massacre?"

Can it even be called a massacre? Well, enough people died, he supposed. Harry scowled though. " How?" He muttered. " Someone slaughters an entire village then hops in here to steal Snape's portrait."

" Perhaps tainting Snape's name." One of the Aurors suggested.

Harry tilted his head. If he could imagine an incredibly roundabout way of doing that, this might be it, though it would be incredibly ineffectual, since Snape was _dead._ " Too farfetched. I need a better motive."

" Dark Magic?" Someone suggested. " Perhaps someone found a way to summon Snape's ghost through his portrait."

Someone cursed, but Harry shook his head. " That kind of necromancy is far fetched. Snape's portrait had nothing to do with the actual Snape, except as a memory of who he was. You can't perform any sort of Dark Arts with someone's portrait, or else Voldemort would probably have painted himself as a Horcrux."

" Well probably some sort of resurrection then. You have Snape's corpse and you have his personality and memories. You combine those two, revive the corpse, and you have a Snape zombie."

Harry's temper flared. This man had _died _for him, had _suffered—_but the Auror who suggested this was not even joking. She had a thoughtful look on her face, suggesting she was voicing a genuine hypothesis. His temper cooled as he considered the actual suggestion.

" Someone has Snape's body?"

" Why wait twenty years?"

" This doesn't explain how he got in here in the first place."

" Cho," Harry turned to the Headmistress, " We're not going to resolve any of this until you lower the wards so we can see for ourselves what took place here last night."

She nodded and held out her wand. With a few strokes, Harry sensed the wards going down. They will be going back up soon enough, he just needed to see what had happened last night.

" Someone cast the spell." Harry said shortly. He was too rattled to do it himself.

And then watched with amazement as he saw Snape appear in the room, sit in the Headmaster's seat for a while, then step forward to make his own portrait disappear before disappearing himself.

" Is it just me," The Headmistress murmured, " Or did Snape actually look _handsome?_"

" You sure that's Snape?" Abercrombie asked. " Kind of looks different."

" Get that thing around his head drawn." Harry suddenly said. " Snape doesn't wear such things. And he doesn't wear anything other than black. I seriously doubt that was Snape, even if he did look very much like him."

" That was definitely Severus." Dumbledore called from his frame. " I would know."

He would, but it was still impossible. Harry shook his head. " Get that circlet drawn, get it over to the historians at the Ministry and figure out what it means."

" Director?" Abercrombie blinked, as someone began scribbling on the parchment.

" I'm going with my gut." Harry glared. " You got a problem with that?"

" No, but," Abercrombie hesitated.

_" What?"_

" Um, I saw the circlet before." Abercrombie said quietly. " Or part of it…it's got the same symbol as the insignia at the lawn circle…"

Harry paused. " Talk to Reds." He walked out of the office.

oO

" So that's the seal." Rarth crouched. " Ack, wizards could have done us a favor and not dug into the ground like that."

" Do you need light?" Severus asked. It was dusk at that point, the sky growing dark, and the shadows were cast over the pit where the insignia was.

" No, I see it." Rarth looked up. " You might want to ask the Sorceress for the Seal of Sorcerers."

" What?" Severus blinked. " What is that?"

" It is actually your seal." Rarth replied. " It belongs to the Breaker of Time. It is called the Seal of Sorcerers because it is the most powerful seal in existence, even more powerful than that of the Sorceress."

" Why would I need such a thing?" Severus cocked an eyebrow. After twenty years, actually, he had never received his own seal, but he had never really thought about it, trusting that the Sorceress was doing what was best for him. " Aralyn said I was already more powerful than the rogue."

" Because this particular insignia belongs to the Blood Seal." Rarth replied. " And _that _is not your ordinary seal. It has its own magic and anyone can use it. Our rogue may not be a sorcerer after all."

" A wizard?"

" Perhaps. But either way, the Blood Seal is incredibly powerful. I am surprised she did not give you the seal before. She would have recognized it."

Severus frowned. " How would the Seal of Sorcerers help? Is it also like the Blood Seal?"

" The thing about the Blood Seal is that it is a conscious entity." Rarth frowned. " That is why it is self-propogating. Your seal _could _deal with it, and you _could _deal with the rogue, but it would be more difficult. Come to think of it, I probably should not be surprised she did not give you the Seal of Sorcerers. It would make your job a lot easier, but the Seal of Sorcerers is a funny badge. It is a bit volatile."

" A volatile seal." Severus remarked dryly. " You are not making any sense."

" I am not explaining this very well." Rarth shook his head. " Sorry, I am a bit distracted. Basically there used to be a powerful sorcerer who created a seal now known as the Blood Seal. The sorcerer was…mad. Somehow the seal adopted a conscience, which is actually as mad as he. The Sorceress, actually, was the one that got rid of him, but she left the corpse for the others to clean up because she felt she already did too much. They buried the body but the Blood Seal, well, it has awareness, so it began drawing other magical beings, unicorns, dragons, and other creatures to dig it out so it can appear in the world for an unfortunate passerby to pick it up. Once someone claims it it claims them as well and starts controlling them, forcing them to do the same deeds its true master would have done. It needs an owner to activate, after all, so that is how it uses its 'owner'. The owner can be anyone magical, so I would not be surprised if it was a wizard."

" I see."

" Now as for the Seal of Sorcerers, as far as I know, it was there even before the Sorceress came to exist, and there is no known owner. According to the Sorceress, it belongs to the Breaker of Time, but no one knew who the Breaker of Time was. Even the Sorceress did not know; she only knew what type of person the Breaker of Time must be, and for the longest time she simply held on to the Seal of Sorcerers. I suppose she had some hint from the deities when your Headmaster Dumbledore prayed to them, because she was confident that one of the wizards, you, in the end, would be the Breaker of Time. When you are ready, she was supposed to give the seal to you; she cannot give it earlier because the Seal of Sorcerers has the effect of draining the sorcerer temporarily, every time it is used, which is unusual in a seal."

" Huh. You're right. That is unusual. Temporarily, you say?"

" Yes. It lasts a good day or two, according to the lore, but has no permanent effects. Still, I suppose the Sorceress did not want to drain you at all, otherwise she would have given it to you already."

" I simply did not want him to lose it." The Sorceress suddenly shimmered next to Rarth, who looked at her without starting, for he was used to her sudden appearances. " Though if you really want it I can give it to you."

" I really do not care." Severus replied. " It sounds like a huge responsibility."

" He is not going to lose it, what are you talking about?" Rarth stared at her in surprise.

" He would not lose it on purpose." The Sorceress replied. " But I know you are affected by this world and your past. I did not wish to add more stress on to you."

Severus considered. She was always this considerate of him. " I will take it." He said at last. " I do not want the rogue hurting more people, or the Blood Seal. Though it sounds rather dire, this Blood Seal."

" You have nothing to be afraid of." The Sorceress handed to him a wrapped bundle. " The Blood Seal is a joke to someone of your power and will. It is just a seal."

" I think I should feel offended." Rarth laughed. " It is a joke to you, but I am to be wary of it. Very wary."

" Ah, life is simply not fair." The Sorceress smiled at Rarth. " Though if it gives you comfort, there are things Severus must avoid that you need not fear."

" True. Give and take." Rarth smiled. " Well you have your Seal. Congratulations, Breaker of Time."

" I should head back. Do you need anything, Severus?" The Sorceress asked.

" I feel like rogue-hunting." Severus looked at Rarth. " Do you wish to come with me?"

" You are joking, right?" Rarth cracked his knuckles. " Let's go find some action."

The Sorceress smiled at the two of them. " Boys." She shimmered away.

" I resent that." Rarth said to where she stood, then scowled playfully at Severus, who chuckled. " Well? Where to start?"

" Hm." Severus blinked. " I would say, St. Mungos is where the bodies are. We should start there, I think."

" After you." Rarth gestured.

Severus smiled a little and disappeared. Rarth disappeared soon after.


	6. Chapter 6

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Six

" A sorcerer." Harry repeated that night.

" Yes sir."

Harry frowned. " What's the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard?"

" Supposedly they're an ancient breed, sir. They are said to have greater control over their magic. They do not require a wand at all, often performing wandless magic. That staff that the Snape look-alike is holding, that's a mark of his authority; the fact that he is a sorcerer, and what sorcerer he is. The circlet just reinforces that."

" So we're looking at a sorcerer. He cast a spell that made a badge hover over a lawn and stamp a crop circle on it."

" Well…" Reds frowned. " It's a bit more complicated than that, sir. Sorcerers also have items, sort of like how we each have our own wand. In the case of a sorcerer, their item is a seal, unique to each individual. This seal acts as their way of binding things or people to them. Once bound the sorcerer is in complete control of its fate. In this case, this sorcerer just claimed all of the village and all its living occupants. He probably willed everyone to die, so they did."

Harry's mind spun around that. " So he had complete control over what happens in the village, simply because he hovered a badge over a lawn and stamped a crop circle on it."

" Er…that is correct sir."

Dark magic, through and through. Whoever they were dealing with is no doubt worse than even Voldemort. If a simple seal can control the fate of a hundred people, what would become of the Wizarding World? This was not good. Harry's lips thinned as he considered the problem. What reason could anyone have of just wiping out an entire village? Inspire fear, perhaps?

But even just inspiring fear—there needed to be another motive, another motive inspiring fear would serve. A collecting of dread settled in Harry's stomach as he realized that they might have to face something much, much worse than having a hundred people die for what seemed to be no reason.

Perhaps it was because of so many sightings of Snape recently, but strangely, the Head of the Auror Department found himself wishing that Snape was actually here.

oO

" Bugger!" Rarth materialized next to Severus, his chase of the rogue, apparently, failing. " Blood Seal's able to transform its user!" He swore.

" You did say it had a conscience."

" I didn't realize it could change a wizard into a freaking sorcerer."

" You don't know for sure if he wasn't a sorcerer in the first place." Severus pointed out, trying to keep from laughing. " Well, don't tell me we've lost him again. Where did he go?"

" Platform 9 and three quarters." Rarth cursed again. " I had him! Then he went and did sorcery on me! It was ridiculous!"

" Are you serious?" Severus exclaimed at the rogue's current location. " Oh for Merlin's sake. We have to try to weed him out of there. What with the students swarming to the Hogwarts Express in what, two days?"

The night was dark and heavy, and there was no one about. The train had not pulled into the station, so the tracks gleamed in the torchlight.

Severus sighed in annoyance. " Just how powerful is this Blood Seal anyway? What if I get hit with it?"

" I doubt it would do much." Rarth replied. " I remember the Sorceress saying it does not really affect you."

" Oh, right." Severus remembered then. " That is a comfort, at least. What about you?"

" We are evenly matched." Rarth replied. " Though I have a few tricks to thwart it."

" He's on the track." Severus muttered. " Where is this fool going?"

" He sensed us, of course. Throw a barrier up there!"

Severus waved his hand out abruptly, and a glowing barrier shimmered. They saw a shadow collide with it, then fall over.

" Smooth."

" Let's go get him." Severus started forward, but then they both felt a seal activating, and the barrier pulsed once, before it disappeared.

" What the—?!"

" He bound my barrier!" Severus stared at Rarth in disbelief. " Well, I never thought of that before."

" He used the Blood Seal on your barrier…"

" And apparently it worked. Look, it went down and now it's up again." Severus tried to lower it himself. The barrier remained unchanged. " I've lost influence over my own barrier. Now we have to destroy it to get to him."

" Too messy." Rarth shook his head. " Thing will explode the station."

" Well how will the Hogwarts Express get in if you have the barrier across the tracks?"

" That's true. Well I'll explode the thing and you try to protect the station and the tracks."

This was promptly done, but by that time the rogue, whatever type he was, had successfully found a way to hide himself for the time being.

" What a ridiculously good way of going about things. This guy is insane. Claiming your barrier, haha, that is like me trying to claim a hair follicle."

" Madness and genius." Severus folded his arms. " What do we do now?"

Rarth was laughing. " Wow. The way we got the short end on that one, haha! That was hilarious!"

Severus did not think the situation warranted _that _much humor. " I am tired." He declared. " Let's go home. We'll come back when the students have to go to Hogwarts because no doubt he would be around." He could neutralize the Blood Seal before it takes effect, or at least protect the children while Rarth deals with the rogue.

" You won't show me Spinner's End?"

" You know," Severus said dryly, " At this rate I will never be ready to see Spinner's End."

Rarth held up his hands. " Fine. You will do so at your own time. And perhaps it is better that you go alone first, anyway."

Severus just cocked an eyebrow at him.

oO

September 1st.

As usual, it was chaotic. Harry had to wonder if forcing everyone to use the same mode of transportation to get to school was really such a good idea. He could understand for Muggleborns, who really had no other way of reaching Hogwarts, but for wizarding folk Hogwarts was actually not so inaccessible. A floo into the Great Hall would have done the trick, so long as the children are given a password, and considering he had been able to literally fly in to Hogwarts grounds (though not without his share of cuts and bruises) either way there _must _be a more efficient method of rounding up students.

" We'll miss you two," Harry told Albus and James, who were sitting in the same compartment. They waved from the window, but kept their heads poked out. There was still another four minutes to go. Lily held her mother's hand, no doubt anxious for her turn next year. She was very quiet today. Perhaps it was because she still had one more year before she becomes a First Year.

" How hard is it to find a bloody seal?" Harry suddenly heard a voice complaining behind him. He whirled around to see two cloaked figures with hoods over their heads. The one in red was still talking. " Though I suppose we should be glad he has not decided to use it yet."

" What if he's on the train?" Asked the other figure, dressed in black.

The two figures halted.

" Oh hell." Said the red figure.

Suspicious, Harry left his wife and daughter to approach the two. As an Auror, even off duty, he could still investigate any suspicious activity. In addition to the two mentioning the seal, the dialogue did not sound like they were dropping any student off on the train.

" Good morning, sirs," He said imperiously, " Are you looking for something here? Is there a problem?"

The two figures halted in surprise and as the black figure turned his head to look at his friend, the hood fell off to reveal—

" Mr. Potter." Snape greeted. He made no further comment.

Suddenly, Snape shot a hand at the train. Harry stepped back and instantly whipped his wand out, pointing at him. No, this could not be Snape. This was the same person that stole Snape's portrait, but it was impossible that he was Snape. Snape was dead. Snape had died twenty years ago. Not to mention, it has been twenty years ago! This guy did not look a day older than thirty!

" Farces," Said the man next to the Snape look-alike, " He is on the train. Dang."

" Two minutes to go." The Snape look-alike glanced at the clock. " We have to get him off before he tries that again. You go."

" Right." Rarth disappeared. Snape still held his arm out.

" Who are you?" Harry demanded.

" Will tell you that later, come on," Snape then swooped over and grabbed Harry's arm before he could even think—and suddenly they were in the train.

Disoriented, Harry had to take a moment to recover. Snape had already moved down the hall, past the compartments. " Lily," He exclaimed, " Now is not the time."

_What the hell?_

" What's going on?" Harry demanded, pointing his wand at the man's retreating figure. " You better tell me or I'll stun you!"

" You can't stun me, Potter." The man replied in a tone that held a familiar sneer. " Though you may try if you wish. Stop it, Lily, now is _really _not the time. Rarth!"

" Yeah!" The other man's voice called from the back. " He got off the train as soon as we got on! I'll ward the train against him coming back; you better go to the station and catch him!"

" This rogue is turning out to be much more annoying than I thought." Snape turned back to Harry. " Let's get the two of us off."

And then they were back on the platform.

_This is not apparating._ Harry thought, confused, though less disoriented. He was beginning to realize how this man was able to infiltrate Hogwarts. What on earth is going on?

Snape was weaving through the crowd, and Harry, snapping to his senses, followed him.

" What are you doing?" He demanded. " And who are you?"

" I am Severus Snape." Snape replied. " And I am trying to look for the rogue. Oh for Merlin's sake—your mother says hi. Now Lily, leave me alone." He swatted the air, then stopped abruptly, looking around. The red hooded figure materialized next to Harry.

" This the Boy-Who-Lived?" He asked, grinning.

Snape glared. " He is a man now." He tilted his head. Harry just blinked. " And the rogue disappeared."

" He's getting very good at doing that." The red-hooded man muttered. " Hello, Mr. Potter. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Rarth."

Harry just stared at him. Then at Snape. " You are supposed to be dead."

Snape turned to him. He was tense before, Harry realized, for now his shoulders relaxed. " I—"

" Should explain things." Rarth interrupted him. Snape glared at Rarth, who just stared neutrally back.

" You are really Professor Snape?" Harry asked, not sure how he was feeling about this situation.

" Yes." Snape replied. " We need to talk."

oO

Harry was not sure about Ginny, or Ron and Hermione, but while he _knew_ he was overjoyed, at the moment, he was _feeling _angry. He was outraged.

" Twenty years!" He shot at Snape. " You didn't think to pop by and drop us a message? We all thought you were dead!"

" I honestly did not think I would ever come back." Snape said with infuriating calm. Rarth was struggling to fight off a grin. Harry glared at him.

" What are you laughing at?"

" Nothing. Nothing at all." Rarth schooled himself into a serious expression, which Harry knew was all a ruse. His rage only increased.

" I thought you were dead! I thought he killed you! And for twenty years you were alive all this time? And a sorcerer! Do none of us _mean _anything to you? You know what, don't answer that!"

" Of course you mean something to me." Snape replied easily. " You are a spoiled-rotten brat, son of Lily Potter. Your wife's yet another Weasley, and I knew that you were all growing up and growing old and having children of your own just fine without me."

Was he _trying _to get a rise out of Harry? Unbelievable! Harry turned away from the man, collecting his temper. He was failing, however. He was mostly hurt. Somehow, despite his closeness to those like Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred, and Dumbledore, Snape's death had been his greatest regret, because in his mind there was nothing Snape had, no emotional reason, no logical reason, why Snape had any reason to help him. Sirius did it because he was his father's best friend, as did Remus. Tonks was an Auror and Remus's wife. Fred was his personal friend. Dumbledore was his mentor. But Snape—Snape was an ex-Death Eater who chose the road less traveled by. He was the only one who really had a difficult choice to make. And what had come of it? He had died to protect Harry. It was something that had weighed on Harry all these years, something Harry had accepted would never go away, the knowledge that he owed his greatest debt to Snape simply because Snape had owed Harry nothing, yet had given Harry everything.

Well, look what came of that.

" You greasy git!" He hissed.

" Nah ah. No name-calling, Master Wizard." Rarth scolded lightly. " And 'greasy' is hardly an accurate term nowadays. Hohoho, if I hadn't seen that portrait, I wouldn't even know what he was talking about."

" Ha ha." Severus sneered, before turning to Harry, " Potter, honestly, I did not think I was ever coming back. To all intents and purposes, the wizarding world was as dead to me as I had been to you."

" Why?" Ginny asked. " Why weren't you coming back?"

Severus shrugged. " Nothing to come back to."

A silence fell.

" Well I'm glad you are here." Harry said, anger still stirring in his heart, but he needed to make this clear before he continued ranting. " I am very happy you are alive. You are still a rotten bastard, but I am glad you're okay." Now, " Did you _know _what your death did to me?!"

" I can't imagine you would miss me more than your mongrel friends." Severus quipped. He did not choose the right time to show his new sense of humor.

Well, Harry was glad he made it clear he was glad Snape was here. If only so he could do this.

Wham! The punch was actually louder than he thought it would be, and Snape nearly toppled over from the blow. Boy did that feel good, for a second, at least. Snape had it coming.

" Ow." Rarth probably agreed, considering he did not remonstrate Harry or even go over to help his fellow Sorcerer. " You okay there, Severus?"

" Harry!" Ginny and Hermione cried at the same time in dismay, while Ron just frowned. Lily whimpered a little and Ginny squeezed her shoulders.

" I _mourned." _Harry felt tears stinging in his eyes. " I _mourned _for you! I kept wishing—" He wiped at his eyes furiously, " I kept wishing you were still around so I could talk to you! All those wasted years; I thought you hated me so I hated you too. We could have—I could have been there for you! I kept regretting! Regretting! I kept regretting that I was too late, especially for you! You absolute prick! Did you even _care?!_"

" Harry," Severus rubbed his cheek where Harry had punched him. The bruise disappeared as he rubbed. It took Harry a moment to realize he was using sorcery, the strange wandless magic that had no need for incantations that sorcerers were capable of casting. The man sighed, and Harry noted that it was the first time Snape had called him by his first name.

" Master Wizard, Sorcerer Severus did have his own life to worry about for twenty years." Rarth said for Snape as Snape continued to rub the bruise away. " It wasn't as if he had just become sorcerer with no scratch or wounds. He did almost die—the fact that he did not actually die hardly changes the fact that he needed time to recover."

" I find it hard to picture him needing twenty years." Harry sneered, more hurt than he was willing to show.

" Harry, I was being selfish." Snape looked at him. The bruise was completely gone now, and he clasped his fingers together. " I was not happy during my time here, Harry. I saw no reason, at the time, that I should return at all. The world of sorcery was a new start for me, and I had been anxious to take it. I knew you mourned, your mother told me so. But I honestly thought it had been for the best that I did not meet with you again, only to disappear from your life once and for all."

" You wanted to leave?" Harry asked, feeling like a child again, somehow. " You did not want to see me again."

" It's not about you." Snape replied, and Harry detected a _Not everything in the world revolves around you, Potter, _though it was neither said nor implied in the man's eyes.

" He needed to heal." Rarth was the one that snapped. " Don't you get it? He needed to worry about himself for once. And he didn't have to come back at all, not even for your rogue sorcerer that killed folks at your Wickville village. Stop being all consumed with your own self-importance and look at things from his point of view. With sorcerers, he could see your parents, everyone who died, any time he liked, not to mention he could fit in for once, which was certainly not the case here."

" The point is, I am here now." Snape cut the other sorcerer off. " You really did not need to feel any guilt over what happened, Mr. Potter. What I did was of my own choice. What I had suffered, too, was through my own fault as well. You owe me nothing."

Harry folded his arms. " You still could have at least said hello."

" Well I am here now."

" After twenty years!"

" But I am here."

And, Harry had to concede, that is ultimately enough.


	7. Chapter 7

The Seal of the Sorcerers

Chapter Seven

It took about two hours for Harry to wrap his head around the fact that Snape was capable of talking to his parents whenever he liked. In fact, Snape was capable of talking to _anyone_ whenever he liked, living or dead.

" So that was why you kept saying my mother's name at the platform." Harry realized. " She was talking to you."

" She wanted me to stop looking for the rogue." Severus shrugged. " Had I known we would have lost him anyway, I would have done what she asked." His expression turned a little, as if someone was talking to him. " She sends you her love, as usual."

Harry could not respond. What was he supposed to say?

This Snape was nothing like the Snape he knew. The man was a completely different man. He was more at ease with everyone, less alert, less reserved, and though he had yet to crack an actual _joke, _he seemed funnier somehow, more humorous. Or perhaps it was the fact that this Snape was usually in good humor, while the Old Snape pretty much never was. He seemed content, Harry had to admit. More at peace. If Rarth was any indication, other sorcerers were endeared to him. He was well-taken care of, and according to Rarth, Snape takes good care of everyone else, being as powerful as he was. Twenty years was a long time, and Snape looked healed from it all. He walked through Hogwarts with a kind of authority that surpassed even Dumbledore. He was the Sorcerer Severus. He had nothing to fear.

What struck Harry was how easy he could understand why Snape saw no reason to return. There simply did not seem to be a point, to come back to a world he had hidden in the shadows of for so long. When he died he had died a traitor, and though Harry's mother no doubt told him about how they now honor him as a war hero, Severus had no close emotional ties, no real family to come back to.

" Oh poo." Rarth commented as he tossed a crystal ball up and down. " These things are incredibly inefficient. What is it made of, glass?"

Severus scowled at him. " What are you trying to do? Find the rogue with one of those divination spheres?"

" Worth a shot." Rarth shrugged. " Too bad neither you nor the Sorceress is all that keen on stabbing the web to look for this guy."

" What's he talking about?" Harry demanded.

" Stabbing the web." Severus repeated, before realizing the young wizard did not know what that meant. " The world is a web of magic, the magical world especially. It is therefore difficult to locate an individual wizard or sorcerer if they are far away enough. To locate them magically you have to stab the web, as the saying goes, so you tear the web apart temporarily so things are not as integrated. The Point-Me spell does something similar, but I—" He frowned. " You think if I cast a Point-Me spell it would work?"

" You have a wand?" Rarth asked. " Don't you need a wand for that?"

Severus found himself thanking Ollivander for making him buy the wand. He pulled it out.

" A white one." Harry noted. " Now that I have not seen before."

" Careful." Rarth frowned. " If you're too vague you'll break the wand from stress." He headed out to the hall in an attempt to locate the rogue anyway, though the two sorcerers both knew it would be fruitless.

" What?" Ginny was the one that asked this time.

Severus took a moment to marvel at Aralyn's patience. It is a bit annoying having to explain all these things.

" For wizards, the wand acts as a way to direct magical energy, but it also amplifies magic." Severus cast a glance at Rarth and wondered if he should have let the other sorcerer do the explaining. " But wands have a limit as well. Sorcerers would normally exceed that limit. When that happens…the wand breaks."

" Are you going to get on with it already?" Rarth yelled.

" Should I just call him 'rogue'?"

" That's a bit too broad, you'll break the wand."

" Aralyn, do you have a name yet?" Severus asked out loud.

Silence. The Sorceress definitely heard him, but had nothing to tell him.

" Why do you always ask her out loud?" Rarth asked as he headed back into the room.

Severus ignored his question. " I do not want to break my wand."

" Maybe you should point it to the Blood Seal." Rarth suggested. " You might as well. Blood Seal's practically a person."

The wizards glanced at each other. Though the sorcerers had explained everything to them, they still did not quite understand just what having a 'conscience' actually meant.

" Point me Blood Seal."

Poof! The wand puffed a bit of smoke.

Rarth choked and started coughing from the smoke. " You sure you did that right, kid?" He asked, waving at the air to dispel the fumes.

Severus barely managed to avoid turning red. " I am fairly certain that is how you do the spell."

Hermione glanced at Ron. As far as she could see, Severus did everything correctly.

" It has been twenty years since you tried this spell," Rarth pointed out, " Or any wizarding spell, for that matter."

" It's a Point-Me spell. It is very straightforward."

" Try it wandless."

Severus sighed a little in exasperation, but he tucked his wand away and repeated the spell. He took a step to the right suddenly. " Whoa." He murmured, flailing his arms a little to maintain his balance.

Rarth grabbed his arm. " North, then." He started laughing, " Ah, when wandless, it points _you_, eh?"

Severus glared at him.

" What a poor wizard you make now," Rarth laughed as he strolled out, " Poof! Right? Alakazam?"

" Oh come off it, you." Severus sneered as he followed him out. Rarth just laughed harder.

The real wizards looked at each other after this exchange. Twenty years was plenty of time for someone to change, but for them it still felt sudden and unexpected.

" Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked.

" I don't know." Harry said quietly. " The man I looked up to the most is back and I don't know him at all. Not that I ever did but…" _But this is like a kick in the gut._ Would that Snape were like this before. Were that he was able to be as comfortable as Rarth is, so long ago. But Snape was maintaining an act, and he did not know any better.

There is still time, he told himself. Snape is here. Alive, and, well, different. But he recalled the pained look on Snape's face when he had ranted at the man. Snape understood, even if he was different. And who was to say that this was not Snape all along, underneath the double-agent?

Severus suddenly peered into the room, sticking his head in a way that made him look very mischievous, even if his expression was serious. " Potter?" He called. " Do you want to come?"

" You'll have to make sure he doesn't get sealed though, Sev!"

" I think I can manage that!" Severus retorted back with a scowl. Then his expression smoothed as he looked at the wizards. " Do you guys want to come? You will have to stick close, or at least it is better for my sanity if you stick close, but I figured since Harry here is on the case."

_Harry? _Harry thought. Snape had first called him Potter, and then absently called him Harry. Perhaps all those conversations with his mum had changed the way Snape thought of him.

" I'll go." Harry offered.

" Me too." Ron insisted.

Hermione and Ginny, both much less adventurous now that they have children, declined the offer. The offer had not been extended to Cho, who needed to be at Hogwarts for the Welcoming Feast. Severus just inclined his head toward her in a slight apology.

" Where exactly are we going?" Harry asked.

" North. Though I do not know how far." Severus rubbed his nose. He caught up with Rarth, who was standing outside in the main hall of Hogwarts.

" Do that spell again." Rarth insisted.

Severus had a scowl on his face again. " Point Me Blood Seal."

This time the reaction was much more dramatic. Severus slipped on the polished Hogwarts floor and the spell made his body slide across until he hit the main doors with a loud thunk. " Ow!"

" Whoa!" Rarth rushed over to him. " Are you okay there?"

" I just got smacked into the freaking door!" Severus snapped as Rarth reached out a hand to help him up. " Rotten spell!"

" Well that spell is out, I guess."

" No." Severus brushed off his robes. " I am going to do a little tweaking."

" Oh dear." Rarth glanced wryly at the wizards. " He's going to do a little tweaking."

" Shut up." Severus pulled out his wand.

" What's he going to do?" Harry asked, with some concern.

" You'll see."

" They work, what are you talking about?" Severus scowled at Rarth.

" Oh, just that your famous tweaking has the effect of, well, tweaking a lot of other things."

" Come off it. Point Me Blood Seal! Whoa!" Severus grabbed on magically to his wand as it suddenly shot away from his hand. The wand, now suspended in the air, began twisting under the tension. Severus quickly canceled the earlier spell.

" What were you trying to do?" Rarth asked.

" Get the spell to point the wand instead of me." Severus scowled even deeper. " It was supposed to _point _the wand in the right direction, like a compass; not _zip _it off to the location!"

" Uh…" Harry blinked. " Should…should we try it instead? Since…you guys have…uh, power issues?"

The two sorcerers glanced at each other. Severus waved, a bit imperiously, reminiscent of how he gestured in the past, for Harry to do the spell.

" Point Me Blood Seal."

The wand spun towards the door, as the spell had directed many times before, without a fuss.

Rarth started chuckling, and Severus rolled his eyes.

oO

Harry and Ron bore witness to some very interesting aspects of sorcery, such as the fact that all sorcerers have the ability to instantly cancel out or neutralize any spell they sense forming that is not stronger than they are, including Killing Curses, transfigurations, conjurations, and in this case, the Blood Seal trying to claim something. Apparently, Snape was considered incredibly powerful, for Rarth implied that while Snape could do a long-distance neutralization on the Blood Seal's claim, he could not, though he could also sense when there is a sealing at work. And apparently Snape was stronger than the Blood Seal.

That did not mean, however, that the rogue did not have defenses against him.

" He is going to annoy me to death." Snape declared with a huff.

" I thought you were more powerful than him." Ron inquired.

" That does not mean I can do anything to him so long as he keeps running away." Snape glared at Ron. " I cannot defeat what I can't catch. And he is making the catch more difficult than I am willing to tolerate at the moment."

" Fortunately Severus here knows how to affect spells from long-distance." Rarth grinned. " This means we can all take a break and you guys can tell me all about how Short-stuff was before we got him."

" Rarth, I'm taller than you."

" You look shorter."

Snape's expression morphed into that of bemusement.

Harry and Ron, now adults themselves, found it rather difficult to admit that before the sorcerers got Snape, Snape had been a 'greasy git'. They kept their silence. Snape, for his part, did not appear to wish to hear about his past.

" Would you give it a rest, Rarth?" He asked, for the first time sounding truly annoyed.

Rarth glanced at him, his smile leaving his face. " Don't wish to talk about it?"

Snape swept past him. Rarth sighed. The wizards started as Snape disappeared.

" Touchy." Rarth glanced at the wizards. " Well, since he went home, I will too."

" Home?" Harry echoed.

" His hut. Sorcerer hut." Rarth waved. " We will be back soon. Think this fiasco ruined his mood. Ah well. Have a good day!" And he disappeared as well.

Harry and Ron stared at each other.

oO

" He keeps disappearing." Severus poured the tea, later that evening, trying not to spill it in his frustration. " He keeps slipping from under our noses. As soon as we arrive he has disappeared somewhere."

" Welcome to the world of sorcery." The Sorceress deadpanned. She had come over to his hut, sensing his distress.

Severus snorted. " I don't want him killing more people. This is incredibly infuriating."

" Ah, what did I say before?" The Sorceress took her cup and sipped. " If you are really so anxious to leave the Wizarding world, my friend, I can take care of the rogue for you."

Severus paused in mid-sip. " You did not send out a rogue just to prolong my stay, I hope."

" I am not so devious." The Sorceress set down her cup. " Clearly, your visit to the Wizarding World has undone all the sense you have acquired in the last twenty years. Your wizarding friends may choose to put such an asinine plot into action, but I am not so insipid."

" I did not—" Severus paused. " Alright, I did mean it. But you are taking advantage of the situation."

" Quite." The Sorceress sipped again.

Severus set his cup down. " Why do I have to go back?" He suddenly asked. " I could spend the rest of my life here. It's not like they really miss me."

" You know that is not true."

No, it was not. Harry's voice still resonated in his mind. _I mourned for you!_ " But they were moving on. So was I. Not to mention, I could always talk to them after they die, if there are still any unresolved issues."

" Severus," The Sorceress set her cup down, " You were moving on despite it all. You are going to live for a long time. You may think that your freedom to speak to the dead can take care of any issues and there is no such thing as 'too late' for you, but there is. Spirits change when they die. The mere fact that they are not alive changes a great many of their perspectives. James Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black—these people are not the people you know. They have gone. They linger for you, because you needed them. But they are still gone in all other aspects of the word. You pledged over a decade of your life to the Wizarding World. That has its consequences. That leaves its scars. And come time, you cannot keep ignoring them. Death is a static state of existence. It never changes. There is no sense of Time. Life, however, is dynamic. The choices involved are crucial. By avoiding the wizards you hinder them from making the choices they would otherwise have made, from following the path they would otherwise follow. What is more, by avoiding the wizards, you, too, hinder yourself from making the choices and following paths _you_ would have chosen and followed. And you cannot say that you can make it all up again after those important to you have passed away. That is not how it works."

" Hmph." Severus knew she was right. " At least I have you and Rarth."

" And others, once they finish their respective tasks." The Sorceress leaned back. " Do not be too discouraged, Severus. It is the weak ones that are the hardest to catch. They are the least straightforward."

" Indeed." Severus gulped down his tea this time.

_Severus?_

The Sorceress looked up. Eileen Prince was the only spirit who did not flee the Sorceress. It was a comfort, actually, that his mother could talk to her son whether or not his mentor was present.

" Hi Mum." Severus acknowledged, wondering if Potter and the Weasleys would have a heart attack if they heard him say that. " It has been a long time. Where were you?"

_In the gardens. We were wondering why you would not go home._

Severus resisted the urge to growl. " Why is everyone pushing me towards Spinner's End?"

" I am not." The Sorceress grinned at him.

" Except you." Severus corrected. " Mum, I'll go there. I promise. I just want to see everything else first." He grumbled. " I have never run away from anything before. Even if I really _really _wanted to." He sounded like a spoiled child, but he was seriously peeved now.

" I will endeavor to make things easy for you, Severus." The Sorceress laughed. " Rarth, bless his heart, merely wanted to see what your house looked like out of curiosity; nothing more. You need not feel pressured. We love you dearly."

Severus bit his lip and poured himself some hot tea again. He chugged it, despite the burn. The Sorceress just watched him, amused.

" Whatever happens, you still have us." She reminded him.

Severus sighed.


End file.
